The Dark Riders
by Elemental Dreamer
Summary: AU Alert! Most of the digidestined are nobles, servants and such at the capitol of the small kingdom of Eisodos until a group of invaders called the Dark Riders attack. Warning: angst, shonen ai and split loyalties to come and detailed military tactics.
1. Part I

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The Dark Riders

By: Elemental Dreamer

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In case you didn't notice, Digimon doesn't belong to me. If it did, you would see some very drastic changes, not the least of which being the ending to the 02 season. I was very disappointed. Anyway, I hope you like it. This was my very first fic and I wasn't going to post it, but then I read some stuff that's a trillion times worse, so I figured, what the hell? If anyone likes it, they're welcome to post it on their site.

As you will be able to tell presently, it is a definite AU. I have to write AU, since I can never come up with lines for their digimon. Oh, and it might have some Taito later on, but I'm not sure. I tend to let stories write themselves. Enjoy!

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Part I - First Signs

The Dark One surveyed the battlefield with mild disinterest.

"If they can't fight any better than this, I'm afraid I'll die of boredom." She said, voicing her thoughts out loud.

All in all, it had been a rather boring fight, though the victory at the Temple was important. This was an important step to gain power over to the most important obstacle in her path: The Kingdom of Eisodos. It had been prophesied that she would meet her match there and they would put a final end to her invasion. She doubted that a single warrior could succeed at what many an army had failed to do, but she had wanted to be careful. Because of this, she had conquered all the surrounding countries and all the allies of the small mountain kingdom, setting competent men in charge of the areas who were fiercely loyal to her and whose loyalty was assured. There was no way she would lose this war. Her people depended on it to give them more land for their rising population. Many children would die if she did not succeed. This stiffened her resolve to take the lands and force their peoples make room for hers.

"Thinking about the effects of your battle strategy?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Yamato, her second in command and only friend.

"I live to serve my people. I was just remembering the prophecy." She turned back to stare across the battlefield.

"I live to serve you, Dark One." He said, recalling the proper reply. "If I can help, let me know how I might do so."

"I would that I could place this strange feeling. I worry that the prophet might not have been incorrect, but that my ultimate defeat will not come to pass on the field of battle." She looked up to the heavens and sighed. "No matter how many battles I win, many are forced to die. I wish there were an easier way. I mean, I am fighting to avoid deaths, aren't I? So why are so many dying?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "If it were any other than you, I would doubt their belief in our cause. No, I think that's just the way of things. There are many that escaped with their lives, and many more that will do so, now that there is new land to move into. Is it not excusable to kill a few to save so many?"

"I guess you're right. Sometimes, though, I wonder if this is really the only way."

"Maybe not, but it is the only way we know."

"You're right. I shouldn't worry so much about it. Thank you."

"You are my commander and friend. I do what I can."

-----*****-----

"You are late for practice, Motomiya!" The middle-aged woman scowled down at him.

The red-brown haired boy looked at the ground sheepishly.

"I promise it won't happen again." He said, trying his best to sound persuasive.

"That's the seventh time this year! You need to be taught a lesson. Today you will not be permitted to practice."

Daisuke looked up at her, crestfallen. Then he nodded and moved away to stand on the sidelines and watch the other boys line up for sword practice. Not that it mattered, since his best friend Takeru would show him the moves afterwards, but that wasn't it. He loved holding a sword and did so at any opportunity. It just felt…right. The instructor knew this very well and had picked the perfect punishment for him. He watched miserably as the other boys listened attentively, some pausing to sneer at him. He wasn't particularly popular, though he wasn't particularly unpopular, either. He'd never been anything special, not even to his overly busy parents. They were servants to the prince and princess, which kept them rather busy. Takeru was his only friend, but he still had to watch as Princess Hikari and he got closer every day. Daisuke had had a really big crush on her, but he didn't judge his chances to be very good, though he always tried to show off when she was around. Takeru had it easy with most girls, anyway. With his blond hair and courtly manner he had them all but falling over him, but he never loved any of them and made sure they understood it, even if they didn't like it. With Hikari and him it had been love at first sight, for both of them. Daisuke had gotten over it, but the whole thing still made him a little jealous. Now not so much because of Hikari, but because he really wanted to find that special someone, too. No one seemed to care about him except his few friends: Iori, the apprentice scribe and fighter, Takeru, minor noble, Ken, also a minor noble, Hikari, the princess, and Miyako, an apprentice engineer and inventor. The only reason he knew so many important people was because of his parents. When he was littler, his mother had taken him with her when she went to tidy up to keep him out of trouble. He wished he could add Taichi, the prince and heir to the throne, to his list of friends, since he looked up to him a lot, but he was very busy learning how to be a king and had no time to make friends with anyone. He was a really nice guy and a good leader, but he had a lot to do and no time for any of the friends he had had before he came of the age when he had to start helping run the kingdom.

"Hey, Daisuke! Dreaming again?" Takeru snapped him out of his thoughts. "The instructor finally agreed to let you go somewhere else and not just sit here all day. Wanna come? Miyako made a new invention." Takeru smiled at him.

Daisuke's face spread into a broad grin. "Just as long as it doesn't blow up in my face like the last one did!"

They both laughed at that and moved off to find the girls. After a while they did find them with something that looked like a little black box.

"Just wait until you see this!" Miyako exclaimed breathlessly.

"Um…in case it blows up, could you tell us ahead of time what it's supposed to do?" Hikari asked pleasantly. Ken didn't say anything, but watched it carefully, like it was a dueling partner circling him. Apparently he was still wary from that one time when Miyako had needed an assistant and recruited him for the job. It was the part he was holding that exploded and nearly taken off a couple of fingers in the process. Since then he was _very_ wary around Miyako's inventions.

"Alright! It'll show us anything important going on within a long ways in each direction!" She explained. "Any questions?"

"Yeah." Her instructor said, looking around the corner from his workshop in the adjoining room. "If it's likely to blow up, will you warn me?"

"Ah, Koushiro! Oh, well, okay. All right! Here we go!"

She switched a button on the box and something started to smell funny. Miyako didn't notice, because a moment after, something appeared on the wall of the chamber, out of the light inside the box. It showed a battle, though only Takeru recognized it as such. Suddenly Koushiro came around the corner saying, "It smells like…" Then he stopped short. "MIYAKO! Turn that thing off before it blows up! If this is really happening, the king ought to know!"

Miyako was shocked into actually flipping the switch before she turned to stare at her instructor. Koushiro looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"The Dark One wasn't supposed to attack us! We were…we were supposed to have a treaty!" He exclaimed.

At this almost everyone present stopped and turned to look at him in shock. That is, all except Daisuke, who turned and looked at him in confusion. His parents never had time to talk to him about anything, let alone to tell him the gruesome tales of the last time the Dark Riders had attacked, which they had heard from their grandparents, who had heard it from who knows where.

"Uh…I guess I'm the only one not informed." He said sheepishly.

At this Koushiro got angry. "There is no excuse for your parents missing that in your upbringing! The Dark Riders are a group of people that attacked us several generations ago. They are a race of fierce warriors. Their leader, the Dark One, gets the position through prowess in combat and is the worst of them all. Sometimes a woman gets the position, though it is usually a man. When they are on an invasion, nothing can stop them, but once they settle down to live in peace they are very good people."

"Wow! I never knew we were going to be attacked! I better practice…" Daisuke said, not wanting to show how uncomfortable this made him feel.

"Daisuke, this is serious!" Takeru chided him. "Besides, your training is about over. Within the week you should be assigned a position. That means that you could be in the thick of the fighting, if this is true!"

"Of course it's true! My inventions don't always work, but they never lie!" Miyako declared.

"I know." Koushiro answered, appeasing her before she started ranting.

"Really? I get to fight?" Daisuke decided to keep it up.

"Not 'get to', probably will." Ken stated. "I think I know where you're going to be assigned, considering. There you might or might not have to fight a lot, depending."

This time Daisuke was really confused. "Considering what? How do you know? I thought nobody knew!"

Hikari giggled. "We're only guessing, but the choice is obvious. But we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you…"

"That's not fair!" Daisuke declared, then they all burst out laughing.

"I'll bring this to the king's ear." Koushiro said, then added thoughtfully, "Perhaps he knows, but then he will also know of this most useful device of Miyako's invention. Perhaps it may help us, if you can keep it from blowing up. You _did_ write down the building instructions this time, _didn't_ you?"

Miyako looked shocked. "I…think I have them somewhere…ah, here!" She energetically pulled them out from under her invention, nearly knocking it over. Ken's eyes widened in fear and he caught it just before it hit the floor. He held it at arm's length until it was out of harm's way before cautiously setting it down again. Needless to say, Miyako didn't notice at all.

"I drew them up this time!" Miyako declared, breathlessly.

"And if it had blown up again, you wouldn't have had them, since they'd also have been blown to smithereens. I'll see if I can build a model that doesn't smell like something's burning and you will watch me. All else clear. This might take a while."

"Okay." They all set out their different ways.

No sooner were they out the door, than Takeru and Ken nodded to each other, grabbed Daisuke and led him out to the now-empty practice grounds where they proceeded to teach him a lot more than he would have learned during lessons. Takeru was his partner and Ken stood off to one side to point out their tactical mistakes. This worked until Ken got tired of watching them and started teaching them some of the newer techniques he had come up with. Neither of them could hold a candle to Ken when it came to strategies and neither could comprehend what he was trying to explain to them. They got back to the grunt practice that they _did_ understand when Ken had to run off to his classes.

-----*****-----

Taichi sat in his father's council, looking suitably interested, although he was about to fall asleep. Nothing interesting ever happened in these things, but he was expected to listen, because he would be the new king someday. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to look foreward only to these dreadfully dull meetings for the rest of his life. He wanted adventure, battle, and romance. And what did life give him? These. Boring. Meetings. He felt like sticking his head in a barrel of sand and never drawing it out again. Now if he'd been born in another country, maybe it would be different. Maybe if he just ran away…

Suddenly one of the guards came and whispered something to the king, his father. The latter nodded curtly and a red-haired man entered with what looked like a black box.

"Inventor Izumi, you wished to show us something?" His father asked, obviously slightly bemused. It struck Taichi that his father might be as bored as he was. Taichi was amazed. Koushiro? He hadn't seen him in ages! He'd had too much to do…

"Yes, your Majesty. My apprentice invented a device to show one what is happening far away in three-dimensional proportions." The man bowed.

Koushiro had an apprentice? Oh, yeah. Miyako Inoue, Hikari's best friend. It was amazing how much older they all were getting.

"Is this the same apprentice who blew up your workshop a couple of months ago?" The king asked, voice thick with suppressed mirth.

"Yes, your Majesty, that was a…misfortunate accident. This will not blow up, as we built another together from her sketches." The man answered, obviously nervous.

What made Koushiro nervous? He'd been up here before showing off inventions, so what was it this time?

"Well, show it to us. I am certain it must be important if you draw it to my attention." His father smiled.

"Uh…yes, your Majesty!" Koushiro flipped the switch and a three-dimensional display came up. It hung in the air with blue-outlines figures. They were…fighting.

His father's face turned serious. "This is grave news. We had received intelligence that the Dark Riders were on the move again, but we had not thought they would attack us…Are you sure this works properly?"

Koushiro leaned over and turned a knob. At once the king saw himself and the entire room, complete with Koushiro bending over to adjust something. Then Koushiro turned the box so that it faced the window and turned the dial slightly. The king saw two boys practicing swordplay.

"Why, that looks like the Motomiya boy and Lord Takeshi!" Someone exclaimed.

Koushiro turned to the king once more. "If you were to look out the window, you would see that it's true. Motomiya was late and missed out on sword practice today, so Lord Takeshi offered to help him catch up."

The king grew very serious. "Taichi, go and see if this is true."

Taichi rose and walked over to the window, sneaking a reassuring smile at Koushiro, who seemed to be having a hard time of it. As he looked out he saw precisely what he had hoped he would see. Two boys on the practice-field, but too far away to see just who it was. He turned, trying to wipe the grin off his face. "There are two boys practicing, Father. It is too far away to see who it is, but it might easily be them."

"Good, then you may seat yourself. Inventor Izumi, these are indeed grave tidings. It would have taken a week for messengers to reach us, were any to escape. During the last invasion, that was the problem. We could never get information back and forth quickly enough. For that reason, we almost lost the war. Perhaps this invention will help us," his father then added with a grin, "provided it doesn't blow up."

Koushiro looked shocked. "I would never bring anything to your Majesty's presence that was likely to blow up!"

"That's good to know, Inventor Izumi. You may leave now."

Koushiro bowed and left the room, taking the black box with him. He left behind a very unnerved council room, except, of course, for Taichi, who was simply wondering if his prayers in boredom had been answered.

"Talk about being careful what you wish for…" He muttered to himself as he sat down again.

-----*****-----

The Dark One awoke at dawn with a strange feeling. She quickly dressed and made her morning preparations before consulted the fist-sized crystal ball that she used when on the road. At first it grew cloudy, then shapes began to form. There was a man with a box. The box portrayed scenes from the battle the previous day. She wanted to get closer, but there were sounds of someone entering the tent. It had to be Yamato; else her guards would have stopped them.

"Yamato, wait a moment." But her concentration was broken. As she tried to return to the scene, the only thing she could see was one face out of the many present. That was strange. She decided to try something.

"Yamato, come. I wish you to try to see."

The figure came closer and knelt beside her. It was Yamato. He looked intently at the crystal ball for a moment, then said,

"I think I do see something, though it's cloudy. All I see is a face, though. It's getting clearer…"

She smiled wryly. "I thought as much. That face appeared the instant you entered this tent. The young man was present in the council chamber but the meaning is unclear. Whatever it is, it concerns me only as your friend. If you discover the meaning, you may let me know or not. It is your choice."

He looked slightly relieved, though he still stared intently at the face. "I am lucky to have a friend like you, commander."

"And I'm lucky to have any friends at all. What did you come to speak to me about?"

"Oh, the usual. You are in charge of a great army and your underlings cannot take care of everything."

"Alright. I will come and see what it is in a bit. I have to take care of my crystal ball and get ready to move. Whatever it is, you can forestall it that long or take care of it yourself. Someday you might lead and I would want you to have the experience already to do a competent job."

"Yes, commander. I will be by the supply tents."

"Very good, Yamato. I will meet you there."

As soon as Yamato left, she turned to put away the crystal ball, only to find it filled with another face. Younger and more boyish with short-cropped red-brown hair and a huge grin…

-----*****-----

Daisuke couldn't keep himself from grinning, from the moment he awoke. Given the circumstances, the positions would be chosen today. He was so excited, he couldn't keep from grinning. The other boys were awakening with nervous looks on their faces, but he couldn't wait! He would finally find out what Princess Hikari meant by it being certain. He was sure he would understand once he got the position. Everyone seemed to know. His bunkie had told him the night before that he was lucky that he at least had a pretty good idea where he would end up and that he made friends easily. Daisuke didn't know what he was talking about, but he let it pass. Daisuke was too excited to ponder things he didn't understand and likely never would!

All the way through the morning ritual, he kept his impish grin and all the way into breakfast, where he left it off for a while, since it hindered eating. Then they all went out to the practice field. There, the commanders of the various groups would call them up… Wow! What was Taichi doing there? Oh, yeah. As was the tradition, he was the captain of his personal bodyguard. But…none of the other male members of the royal family was there…was that supposed to mean something? Nah…

The names were called out in alphabetical order. He kept getting more and more impatient. When would they finally get to him! His bunkie stood next to him, getting more and more nervous.

"Minazuki!" It was called from somewhere. It was the captain of the guard. Daisuke shook his hand and pushed him off to join his new group.

"Motomiya!" Wait…wasn't that Prince TAICHI! Daisuke felt like screaming out to the world, "I'm going to serve under my absolute role model! Oh! My! GOD!" But he didn't. He walked over in a disciplined manner and stood where he was supposed to, although he couldn't wipe a huge grin off his face.

-----*****-----

Yamato couldn't shake the strange feeling that overcame him suddenly. "Oh, shut up." He muttered hoping it would help. "It might be the first time I ever looked in a crystal ball, but why should that make it stick in my mind? Why can't I shake this feeling? Hell, why did she make me look in the first place?" He didn't mean it, really. It was a rare occasion that he had been able to glimpse her treasured crystal ball, let alone gaze into it. She was the only friend he had, even though she wasn't supposed to have any friends. She was supposed to be above everyone else, and friendship was only allowed amongst equals. To her, he was an equal: The man who came the closest to defeating her in battle during the games after the death of the last Dark One. She knew he would not have been permitted to take on the name, as it was an open secret that he was half-Eisodos. To most, this made him less than equal. To her, he was the man who almost beat her. Thus, he was an equal. She told him once that he had a brother amongst the enemy and that he would know him by the hair. They both had their hair from their father, the only parent Yamato had ever known. The scandal was that he had wed a lady of Eisodos, while on a scouting mission. When he was called back, he was forced to leave her, taking his elder son with him and leaving her with the baby. Yamato didn't remember this and nobody would talk to him about it, let alone tell him what had happened to make him considered beneath almost everybody. But she had told him. At the time they had not been friends, but since she believed fiercely in the natural equality of all humans, she had told him. This had only added to his respect of her. He knew her like none other. She could be absolutely ruthless in pursuit of her enemies, but if anyone who was not involved in the conflict so much as scraped his knee, she would bandage it up for him. Many thought that he had a secret crush on her, but that was not true. There was no need for any such thing. He was her best friend and she was his best friend. There was no need for anything more than that. He was beginning to doubt he even liked girls…

"Second in Command, Ishida!" The guard stood to attention.

He had arrived at the supply tent.

"The Dark One will be along in a moment. In the meantime, you have the go-ahead to start distributing." He ordered.

"As the Dark One commands." The guard retreated. Everyone knew what would happen if anyone dared not listen to Yamato, whether the orders were hers or his. Anyone who disobeyed was put to death. That, he had to admit, was a lot cleaner than the way she used to get rid of his tormentors, before she was officially his friend, at least between the two of them. They would usually be found in dark alleys or something with their throats cut. Thus, he developed a reputation for being tough, something that was admired amongst the Dark Riders, but he knew that it was not his work. It was quite by chance he had found out it was hers. He had been tormented again by one boy and later had tailed him after dark, inspired by his newly growing reputation. So as not to be noticed by anybody, he had used the rooftops. From thence he had seen her lie in wait, draw him in with a vice and slit his throat, so no sound could escape his lips, but also from behind so the blood would spurt away from her and not get her clothes dirty. When she had dropped his body carelessly to the ground, she had looked up and seen him. The look of pure hatred on her face turned to pity in a moment, and then she was gone. No one else had ever discovered the real culprit.

Ah, there she came. She looked troubled. Whatever could it be? It took a great deal to get through to her like that, partially because she had such an amazing capacity to simply forget on cue. But then, he was troubled as well. Though try as he might to cover his mind with memories, there was always that face there. It was beginning to annoy him to the point where he thought he might kill that person on sight for occupying his thoughts in such a manner.

She walked up to him and her face turned serious. "Are there any unexpected problems that I need to see to? Otherwise…"

A messenger rushed up. "Dark One, your advisors are gathered at the appointed place and merely await your whim."

The ghost of a smile crossed her face. She gave Yamato a look as if to say 'You can't win 'em all.' and left for the council tent.

-----*****-----

After a hard day at his new duty, Daisuke still didn't look the worse for wear. Nothing could tire him after he had been chosen for the elite bodyguard of his absolute role model! He went looking for Takeru, Ken and the rest of his friends, but they were nowhere to be found! Soon it grew dark and he found himself in the royal wing, as he had been looking for Hikari. It was then he had the feeling he was being watched and he whirled around to see a serving girl of striking 'hit between the eyes' type beauty. She had long black hair, braided to that it formed a crown around her head, keeping most of it out of her way. She smiled at him as she passed, but there was something odd about her. Daisuke didn't know what it was, but she didn't feel like she belonged. Shrugging the feeling off, he went and knocked on Hikari's door. Her voice called him to come in and he saw that they were all prepared to have a surprise party for him, when they heard a scream from a few doors down.

Hikari stiffened markedly and she whispered, "Father…" Then she was out of there in a flash, all of them right behind her. As they ran to his door, Taichi was also just arriving. He knocked on the door, but it wouldn't open. It was locked on the inside. Then without a word, he started to try to knock the door down. Within a moment, Daisuke was joining him, trying to get the stout oak door to budge. Then there were grown guards there, taking over for them. When finally they got the door down they all ran into the room after the guards, looking for the cause of the noise.

When they saw what was there, Hikari nearly fainted. Iori looked grim, and indeed it was nothing to sniff at. The king was sitting at his desk in a pool of his own blood. Someone had slit his throat quite cleanly from ear to ear; though where they were now was a completely different question.

The first question on all their minds was how. How did the assassin get past the guards at the landing? How did they get in here and lock the door in such a short time?

Prince Taichi stood in plain shock, which turned slowly into anger as the immensity of what had just happened finally struck him. His eyes ablaze, he yelled, "I'LL KILL THE BASTARD WHO DID THIS!"

Princess Hikari stared at the body. She went over to touch what had once been her father, to see if he might not yet be alive. At first touch she knew he was not and, bursting into tears, she threw her arms around Takeru and cried into his shoulder.

Iori shook his head and asked the one question no one had thought of. "Daisuke, you were in the hallway last. Did you notice anything?"

Daisuke looked at the smaller boy in shock.

"We know it can't have been you, anyway. You were with us when it happened. I only want to know if you noticed anything."

Daisuke racked his brain. "Uh…yeah! There was a serving girl…black hair braided around her head like a crown. Yeah…she smiled at me. It was just before I stumbled in on your surprise party…"

The guards from the stairs looked confused. One of them said, "I swear that no such serving maid passed us! There are very few in the capital who have black hair, and they are all men, indeed nobles."

Iori looked up with sudden sparked interest. "But black hair is all but uncommon amongst the Dark Riders. My grandfather says they have a tendency towards blond or black hair-colors, while we in Eisodos tend more towards browns or reds…"

"But what about Takeru?" Miyako asked, confused. "He has blond hair…"

That suddenly struck Iori as well. "That is an interesting observation, Miyako. Takeru, didn't your mother say that your father left when you were a baby?"

"Yeah, and he took…my brother…Iori! Do you think…" Takeru's voice was desperate now.

"It certainly is interesting, isn't it? Well, enough of that. So it would seem that the assassin was a Dark Rider, thus explaining the strange hairstyle. If I had long hair and wore a helmet all day, I would use it as extra padding, too."

Somehow this didn't make sense to Daisuke. Of course he'd heard the story of Takeru's father who had come out of nowhere and sired two sons only to be called back to wherever he came from, leaving one of his two sons behind, but he had never thought of it _that_ way. It just didn't make sense for Takeru's father to be a Dark Rider. Takeru was such a nice person and they were supposed to be cruel, battlecrazed maniacs, right? Well, if so, then Takeru took after his mother's side, to be sure. But for him to have a brother…who was probably even now riding towards them to be first in the assault against their kingdom, perhaps even causing the death of his own brother without knowing it… That thought was not particularly appealing, so Daisuke let it hang.

"It's not like it matters who your parents were, anyway." Daisuke assured his best friend, who was still holding a sobbing Hikari. But he couldn't help but add, "But I might keep a look-out on the field of battle, in case you see someone who might be your brother. If you take him prisoner or something, then you could get to know each other, at least." He flashed Takeru as reassuring a grin as he could manage, given the situation.

Takeru smiled weakly in thanks.

But one question remained on their minds: Why would the Dark Riders want to assassinate the king? His son would succeed him…

"The Temple." Iori breathed. "They've taken the Temple."

-----*****-----

The Dark One smiled to herself as she put the clothing away in her tent, changing back into something suiting. Now that that was finished she could…

"Excuse me." Yamato interrupted, coming in just at this moment. "I almost thought I felt something. It was funny, like this morning."

She couldn't help but smile. "It was magic. I just got back from a little…excursion. I didn't know you would be able to sense it so quickly. I had thought it might take you a bit longer to learn."

"So, where were you?"

"I killed the man who was responsible for the death of my grandmother. I've been waiting for a chance to do that."

"You WHAT?!"

Her smile widened. She liked catching him off-guard.

"Must I repeat myself? I…"

"No, I got you the first time. But, wasn't that the king?"

Her smile turned slightly sardonic. "I believe you might say that."

Blinking a couple of times, he sat down.

"I'd like to be forewarned about these things. I've got a brother there at the castle…"

"You've never met him and yet you'd protect him with your very life; how comical. Oh, by the way. I found the owner of the face you saw this morning." 'As well as the one I saw, though he's not at all bad looking…' She added mentally.

"Really? I mean, great. Is that supposed to interest me…"

"Well, I know you well enough to know that it does, so you don't need to hide from me. You forget I can read minds, when I'm within ten meters of the person I want to do so with. You just can't get him out of your head, can you?" She asked, mischievously watching a blush spread across his face. "See? I know how to get you. Anyway," she said casually, turning to her small mirror to supervise taking her hair down. "I'm not sure if you'll like the answer. You see, it's Taichi Yagami: prince of Eisodos. Oh, and your brother…" She watched him jump at this one. "…He seems to have something going with his sister. Isn't that precious?"

He turned a deep crimson that she had only been able to tease out of him once or twice.

"You know that our people do not care of what gender one's mate is, as long as they have proven their worth on the battlefield, especially in the case of bringing a member of another people into our race."

The blush faded, as he listened carefully.

"But I am not sure if your precarious position would withstand the strain from such a union. It's difficult enough for them to know that your mother was a weak Eisodos woman, not proven at all in any fighting. As you see, your position is not as simple as, say, mine would be, were I to choose a mate from another people. Any challengers of the marriage would have to be defeated by him alone, as he would be the one whose capability would stand to question. If he were to win all the battles against the challengers, we would be free to marry. Thus is the custom of our people. But you are considered to be less than one of us, though better than one of them, to most of our people. You would have to leave. You understand that, don't you?"

He nodded. "Why do you always have to be so damned right?" He asked, not really meaning it.

"I don't know. Maybe one could put that down to my mysterious father. He showed up from nowhere, defeated the entire clan and abducted my mother. She was found again, but she remembered nothing. The only reason they took me was because of the immense power of my father. He would have stood the trial without a single problem and was incredibly strong. Thus, it was not frowned upon like the union with your unproven mother."

"Is that part of the reason why you designated yourself to protect me?"

"In part. And also because you're a good person and a good friend. I never had any friends before I met you, either. People were afraid I would be as strong and wild as my father seemed to be and so they avoided me. No one was really surprised when I won the games and became the next Dark One, even at such a young age. It was almost like they expected me to."

Yamato looked surprised. "I never knew that. I thought you merely pitied me."

Her face turned impassive, to hide the emotions she felt bubbling up. "I have never killed a man out of pity, nor will I ever. Now I would like to sleep, unless there are pressing matters." She flashed him a smile and turned back to her hair.

Yamato smiled and nodded, adding as he left, "There is nothing so pressing as the problem you created for them."

-----*****-----

Kari was desperately trying to keep herself from crying, though Takeru was comforting her, while Taichi was shouting out to the world all the things he would do to a Dark Rider if he saw one. Iori was just sitting there, objectively watching him rant. Ken had already left. He handled these things much better by himself. The whole thing kind of freaked Daisuke. It felt so unreal…and yet that's just what it was…real. And Taichi couldn't get to the Temple to be crowned the next king. Miyako had disappeared some time earlier, shutting herself into the workshop, where she was probably crying her eyes out, maybe comforted by her instructor Koushiro, who was almost like a father to her, despite the fact that he wasn't really that much older than her. Her family had too many children to get too involved with any of them.

Daisuke found himself wishing he had someone like that. He had all kinds of friends, but his parents were too busy and his sister had been married off to Ken's older brother, who had been visiting from the family estate out in one of the farthest provinces that bordered on Dark Rider country. He remembered how happy his parents had been that she'd landed such a good match, even though it was an open secret that interbreeding between the two races at the borders was a common practice. They didn't even care that she wasn't happy with him and would have seriously preferred marry the one she loved: Jyou's older brother Shin.

It wasn't like Daisuke knew Shin very well, but he did know Jyou. They'd gotten to know each other through their older siblings and played together until Jyou became so consumed with becoming a physician that he didn't have time for friends. At that point Daisuke had drawn back on his other friends to the point where he hardly even thought about him except in connection with his sister.

And he rarely thought about her, unless it was to remember how terrible his parents were.

"Daisuke?" That was Iori.

"What?" Daisuke replied moodily. He didn't feel like talking.

"Is the weight of what happened finally beginning to sink in, or did you have another reason to suddenly get so uptight?" Iori always knew when something was bugging people.

"I don't think it will really sink in until I wake up tomorrow morning. My train of thought led me to remember how much I hate my parents." Daisuke replied, trying to be civil. After all, it wasn't Iori's fault that his parents didn't care.

"Ah, I see. Let me guess…you wish you had someone to confide in like Miyako has in Koushiro, but you don't even have an older sibling, since Jun was married off, and you hate your parents for not letting her marry who she wanted, right?"

Daisuke stared at Iori, disarmed. "What - but - but I…"

Iori waved it off. "I know you pretty well, by now. And it's not like I don't know how much that whole thing bugged you. You only carried on about it for a month. I agree: It was not a very nice thing to do, but you must understand your parents' situation. Their eldest child will be properly taken care of financially, which is more than a union with Shin could have assured them. Don't forget he wanted to go out and administer medical care to savages, just because they need it! Not that I agree with them, of course, but then I'm not a parent."

"They still could have at least asked her first!" Daisuke retorted.

"I'm not them, but I think they knew she would object and didn't tell her on purpose." Iori replied levelly. "I think they were smart enough to know that. As I said, I don't agree with what they did, but I understand that their motives were perfectly good."

Daisuke fell into a chair and shut up. He didn't really want to be reminded, but he knew Iori was right. Iori was always right, and it was pretty damned annoying!

Just then there was a knock on the door. Taichi motioned for somebody to open it, so Iori did.

It was the high councilor. Now what would he want?

"Prince Taichi, I think that you should take back the Temple as soon as possible that you may be crowned king! Otherwise you will not have the authority to run this war!"

Taichi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll kill the bastards who murdered my Dad! We go as soon as possible!"

At this, the man smiled and nodded, before carefully shutting the door.

As soon as he had left, Iori inserted what Daisuke considered the first sensible comment that Taichi heard ever since it happened a few hours ago.

"Taichi, you should save your wrath for the particular woman who committed this crime. You must remember, Takeru's brother is a Dark Rider."

Taichi's eyes blazed. "His brother didn't commit this crime, it was a woman. But it was a Dark Rider woman. If I can recognize his brother on the battlefield, it might go better for him. I will destroy the Dark Riders! They killed my father and I will kill them!"

Takeru swallowed. He had never met his brother, but he still felt a need to help him as much as he could.

He coughed. When everyone turned to him, he spoke, voice trembling slightly. "Wouldn't it be better to capture one of them for information? Like…maybe someone who knows something…second in command or such…maybe? And…please be careful…my brother…I don't remember him, but Mom said…he looks a lot like me…he would be called…Yamato Ishida. Could you…?"

Taichi calmed down a little. "I'll try, but only on one condition: If the prisoner is a woman, she dies."

Takeru nodded, hopefully.

-----*****-----

Daisuke lay in bed and just couldn't sleep. He knew he had to be rested, since Taichi would be going to war as soon as possible and he, as a member of the personal bodyguard, would go with. He was excited, but something kept nagging at him. He got the strange feeling that a very big and unexpected change was imminent in his life, but he didn't know what it was.

Sighing, he decided to take a short walk. He carefully got up so as not to disturb anybody, changed into his normal clothes and left the chamber. Suddenly he heard voices. He wasn't supposed to be up, so he hid. It turned out it was Takeru and Hikari's voices.

"…So I'm going to see if I can find him."

"But that could be dangerous! We need you here! I need you here." Hikari protested.

Daisuke was intrigued and peeped around the corner.

Takeru was facing Hikari, but he could only see Hikari's expression. Takeru had his back to him.

"I know, Hikari, but I need you to be safe. If I can find the old sage Gennai, perhaps he can help my brother! I…need to give it a try, at least. You saw the look on Taichi's face!" Takeru explained.

"Yes, but I…I'm afraid. With Daisuke fighting alongside Taichi and Miyako all but blaming herself for what happened…Iori is always busy and other than them, all I have is you! I…I love you!"

"I know, Hikari, but I must do this. You do understand?" Takeru floundered.

Hikari sighed. "Yes, I do understand."

"Thank you, love." Takeru bent foreward and kissed her on the lips. "You make this much easier by that. I love you, too, and I will come back as soon as I can. I will not be gone long."

Hikari flung her arms around him. "Come back soon, Take-chan."

"I will, my Lady."

And with that he left. Daisuke watched Hikari stand there for a bit still and then go running in the other direction. He felt just about to cry himself.

"I can't believe it! It's like a dumb romance novel! I wish I could find love…" He whispered.

Then he heard a sound. Turning, he saw Iori and Miyako right behind him, each in their own way looking rather moved: Miyako was crying, Iori looked more grave than usual. Daisuke wondered how long they had been there, but he didn't dare ask right in the open like this. He looked lost for a bit, then Miyako seemed to get an idea. She led them to the workshop, where she had made her invention. There they sat down to talk.

"I never knew they were a pair! I just…" Miyako looked on the verge of tears again.

Iori lightened up a little bit. "I knew there had to be something going on. You did, too, didn't you, Daisuke?" He looked at Daisuke calmly.

"Uh…yeah. You see, I used to have a crush on Hikari. I figured out then that they liked each other…" Then Daisuke remembered something. "Uh…you guys, where's Ken? Why didn't Hikari mention him at all? It is kind of funny…"

"Not really. Ken used to like her, too, and that kind of interrupted their friendship, just like it would have yours if you had let her know, Daisuke." Iori explained.

"Why can't Ken like me?" Miyako bawled. "I've always liked him…"

"Uhhh…I don't know!" Daisuke tried. "Maybe…he will in time or something…"

"I hope so!" Miyako abruptly stopped crying. "So, Daisuke, did you get where he's going?"

"Uh…yeah! He's looking for Gennai." Daisuke recovered. You had to be used to these mood-swings with Miyako. She was full of them.

"Well, then so are we. We're not going to let him down! Even if I can't have true love, Hikari by hell is going to!" Miyako took in her 'save-the-world' stance.

"Um, sorry to disappoint you guys, but I really can't. I have to go to war with Taichi…" Daisuke said.

"Besides." Iori reasoned. "If we're gone, too, what about Hikari?"

Miyako stopped. "Oh, yeah. I didn't think of her."

"I'm sure Takeru can take care of himself. He is a Lord and therefore has a lot more freedom of movement. We're servants and bodyguard, respectively. No. Chance." Iori explained, then started. "But Ken could go…"

Daisuke walked over to the window and looked out. "Um, guys. Nobody's going to go. Look."

They both came over to join him in watching a dark figure on a horse galloping into the distance. "I think that's probably Lord Takeru."

Miyako slumped. "Oh, well. Anyway, we at least know where he's headed."

Iori looked grave. "I hope he can make it to be there when Taichi gets that prisoner he urged him to take. Otherwise Taichi might forget his promise."

"Don't worry, he will be." Another voice answered.

All three turned to see a red-haired young woman standing in the doorway. They blinked.

"You might not know me. I'm Sora Takenouchi. I was Taichi's best friend for a long time, before he got too busy with his work as the heir. Hikari has had another vision and told me where to find you. She says it's very important that you come and hear about it."

They looked at each other and nodded. Then they turned to the strange woman and Iori answered. "Lead on, Takenouchi."

She waved it off. "Ah, just call me Sora. Come on, I know a short-cut."

Before they knew it they were in a secret passage that led directly to the closet down the hall from Hikari's room. Then, all of a sudden, Sora disappeared. Not wanting to make any more noise than they had to, the three of them made their way to Hikari's room, where they found her sitting at the desk in her night-clothes and viciously scribbling at something.

"Um, Hikari?" Iori spoke up. She turned and her face grew blank. "Iori? Daisuke? Miyako? What are you doing here?"

"Um…you didn't send someone down to get us? A certain Sora Takenouchi?" Daisuke asked, confused.

Hikari dropped the pen and stared at them in shocked silence. "You didn't say what I thought you did, did you?"

Iori nodded. "Sora came to tell us you had another vision and wanted us to know about it."

Hikari gasped. "But…but Sora's been dead for seven years!"

Miyako gasped. "She…what? But…"

Hikari continued. "Actually though, I did have a vision. Taichi will take a prisoner and it will be Takeru's brother, second in command of the Dark Riders…"

"Wait up!" Iori said, surprised. "Did you say second in command? How did Takeru know?"

They stared at him.

"You may not have been listening, but Takeru firmly suggested that Taichi take the second in command captive, if he could figure out who it was. He was not to try to take the leader, just the second in command. Strange, isn't it?"

Hikari stared. "He gets these feelings the way I get visions. He is not always quite aware of them, but I have noticed. Doubtless it was one of those."

Daisuke finally woke up. "Wait a second, since when do you get visions anyway?"

Hikari looked down at the floor. "Only Taichi and Sora ever knew about them. I don't think even Takeru knows…"

Miyako looked mischievous. "If it was me, I'd have told my lover already…"

Hikari blushed a bright red. "How…I mean…nobody knew…"

The two of them, Miyako and Daisuke sported impish grins. Iori just smiled mysteriously. "Ah, but we knew!" Then they giggled and went back to their usual expressions.

Hikari shook her head. "You guys!"

Outside the window, Sora smiled faintly. She would always keep her promise to Taichi and protect his sister. Even if he never loved her the way she did him. Even if he found 'the one' and became perfectly happy. She would always love him and would always keep her promise.

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Okay!!! That was part I. I have to admit, I stopped writing here and picked up again years later. If you want to continue reading, you'll just have to understand any slight shift in style. ^-^

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	2. Part II

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Well, here I am again! As I mentioned, this part was written ages later than the first part. Please don't wonder that I don't mention the dreary routine of army life, but focus on the other story lines until they've had the time to get to even the general vicinity of the Temple! I hope I haven't written anyone too OOC. Also, I'm trying to at least bring in a few of the 03 characters now. When I began this story, it hadn't come out yet, so I could hardly have planned them in. Hence they don't take on as large a role as the other characters, but I did try. I really managed to find a good role for Ryo, and those who haven't showed up yet still will, trust me. Yes, even Jyou shows up, thought later on. So don't despair if your favorite character is as of yet absent. But if they're from 03, don't set your hopes too high as to their positions. By the way, Mimi isn't OOC; she's just become stronger and more self-reliant in the meantime. Okay?

As an extra disclaimer, I don't own any of the various quotes I use at any point in this story! While I was editing this part, I came across quite a few that I'd used, including one from Thomas Edison, which I attribute to Izzy… Hey, the comparison's not all _that_ far off! *indignant sulk* Anyway, I hope you enjoy anyway! ^-^

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**__**

Part II - The Clouds Thicken

-----*****-----

Yamato was awakened earlier than he'd expected by a summons. He was ready within moments and went to see the Dark One. He wondered what it was that couldn't wait at least until dawn. When he came out, he was surprised to see a third of the force already mobilized and in arms. His friend stood there in full battle armor, eyes shining feverishly. "Well, you certainly took your time. Since the enemy now has a method of spying out our movements, we have to move at unexpected times. They won't be looking now; they'll be too busy mobilizing their troops. I'm leaving you in charge of the force here. They're moving to attack in full force, but I trust in your abilities. That Prince is a fool. It should be easy to defeat him. Once you do, come back and meet up with me at the capitol. With their entire force out here, I should have captured it by then."

Yamato nodded. "As you command."

She grinned and cocked her head. "Just one thing: promise me you won't get killed."

He was slightly taken aback, but tried to cover for that and grinned. "It would take more than that to get rid of a cockroach like me."

The Dark One slapped him on the shoulder. "Good! It would be a real pain if I had to come back and name another commander in my absence. See you then!"

Yamato watched them move out under cover of darkness and sighed. Then he went back to his tent just to be alone for a moment. He knew why she was worried. Yamato would be facing the man he'd seen in the crystal ball on the battlefield, and he was not too sure if he could really try to kill him…

Yamato stopped and blinked. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before? He would have someone else play commander and he'd play second-in-command. That approach also had distinct tactical advantages. He would just have to pick someone he could trust… The full-blood Dark Riders didn't like him very much, for a number of different reasons, so he would have to pick a half-blood… On the other hand, there was always Ryo. Everyone knew Ryo, though he'd never given a last name. He had absolutely no Dark Rider blood in him, and had come and joined their clan in search of adventure. The last Dark One had been intrigued by his determination, and had put him to the test, which he had passed admirably. He would be sympathetic to Yamato's cause and still trusted by the bulk of the armed forces. Smiling, Yamato got up to look for him, but then sat down, remembering that he now had the authority to summon him. But then he'd have to explain to the Dark One's advisors…

Yamato sighed. He hated having to deal with them, because they hated him so much. Why did they accept Ryo but not him? Yamato had come within a hair's breadth of defeating their current Dark One, while Ryo only managed to get to the semi-finals. He sighed. Talk about force of habit…

He nodded curtly. "And that's just why I'm going to go looking for him myself."

With that, Yamato stood and left the tent, searching for his chosen accomplice.

-----*****-----

Daisuke awoke with a start. Many of the other younger members of the prince's personal bodyguard with whom he shared a room were already moving around, although it wasn't even light yet. Daisuke wiped his eyes, feeling the lack of sleep. He let discipline take over for once and mechanically got up and splashed some cold water on his face. At that, he was immediately awake. He stretched and tried to remember what he had dreamt, but it was already running away like water. Something about that servant girl he'd seen… Suddenly the events of the night before came into sharp focus, and caused him to stagger under the blow. The unfortunate result of this was that he lost his balance and fell face-first into the basin of cold water. He got up sputtering, although he'd managed to catch himself before he hit the bottom, but the shock of the cold water somehow seemed to counteract the shock of everything sinking in. He wiped his face off on the towel by the basin and moved off, making room for the next guy who wanted to use it. As he looked around, he found that everyone was talking about the assassination and Taichi's decision to go to war immediately to at least temporarily regain the Temple. He really didn't want to be reminded of the look of absolute hatred on his role model's face, so he purposely tried to avoid being drawn into a conversation. Instead, he focused on the mystery of Sora, the dead girl who they'd followed to Hikari's chamber, Hikari's vision, and Takeru's desperate quest. He had to smirk at the last of these. If Takeru had waited just a little longer for Hikari's vision, he wouldn't have had to go. Still, the old sage was always good for a few surprises, so he might already know and Takeru might get some invaluable piece of information from him that would decide the war in their favor. You never knew with that guy. Daisuke could only hope his friend would come back soon, even if only for Hikari's sake. Besides, if the prisoner really turned out to be Takeru's brother, he should be there. In Taichi's state, he might easily forget his promise in the face of a Dark Rider and not even ask questions before killing him; and that would not be good.

"Say, weren't you one of the ones who discovered the body?" Another young recruit asked him.

Daisuke looked up in spite of himself. For some reason, he felt compelled to answer. "Yes, why?"

The other smiled at him. "You never know which rumors to believe. By the way, my name's Kazu."

Daisuke grinned. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to talk about it. It would take his mind off of the worse aspects of the matter, like Taichi's obsession with revenge. "The door was locked and the window was barred. It's assumed to have been a Dark Rider, dressed as a servant. Actually, I saw her. She had black hair, and it was braided around her head like a crown. She was beautiful!"

Ryo cocked his head. "How did you know it was her?"

Daisuke shrugged. "My friend Iori, you know, the son of the bodyguard who saved the king's life during the last assassination attempt, said something about it being the black hair."

"How was he killed?" Somebody asked.

"How did the assassin escape?" Another person asked.

Suddenly Daisuke found himself bombarded with questions that didn't cease until a messenger came to tell them they had to be ready to march in one hour's time. In the chaos that ensued, nobody had time to ask him any more questions. In fact, Daisuke was so busy himself that he didn't think he'd have been able to think of answers to them anyway. He was caught up in the rush of getting ready, finding his sword, gulping down a hurried breakfast, and running out to the grounds; Daisuke found himself being handed a pack of supplies before he was even aware of what was going on. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Gods for his extensive training. Just then the commander of the prince's bodyguard came up and addressed them. It was a striking, red-haired woman with a serious expression.

"As you may have heard, our country has lost its king in its most dire hour of need. We need a new king, and for such we must recapture the Temple! We will be joined along the way by forces from the other provinces, ready to fight for the good of our country. For Prince Taichi!"

"For Prince Taichi!" They all yelled in reply.

-----*****-----

Ken looked up from his books and frowned. Taichi wasn't really going to leave now, was he? It was understandable that he would want to regain the Temple, but if he left now the provinces wouldn't have adequate time to raise the armies he would need to attack the invaders! He had always known Taichi had rash tendencies that led him too often to act before engaging his seemingly tiny brain. Still, when the prince had declared his intentions to march the following morning loud enough for the entire wing to hear the news, Ken had assumed he'd sleep on it and realize the foolhardiness of that approach. He shook his head, realizing the danger of the situation. If something didn't happen fast, they would lose the war before it had even started. He stood and rushed over to the window, but he gritted his teeth as he judged rightly that it couldn't be stopped now: the entire force of the citadel was up in arms. How could Prince Taichi put all their lives at stake for the sake of one battle that his tactical mistakes made it doubtful he would win, anyway? Besides, the enemy was more than likely to have figured out that their next step would be the recapture of the Temple. That gave them a distinct advantage: While they concentrated their forces on taking it back, the Dark Riders could come around, take the capitol city, and cut off the supply lines. Ken shook his head. Something had to be done, and fast. Much as he hated to admit it, the only person who could help him now was Koushiro. He had to find a way to speed up the transportation of the messages, at least.

Just as he was about to leave the room, Ken stopped. He turned back to see his set of armor propped up neatly against one wall, looking like nothing so much as one of the ornamental sets in the great hall. He gulped and nodded decisively. The way he could serve his country best now was to try and minimize the damage Prince Taichi could do to them in his single-minded pursuit of revenge. The armor was more difficult to put on than he'd remembered, but once it was on he lost no time in rushing to the workshop. He sounded like a thunderstorm, but he didn't care.

When he reached the workshop, Koushiro wasn't there. Miyako opened up and was openly shocked to see him dressed for battle.

"Ken! I didn't know you were going, too…"

"I didn't want to, either, but Taichi's a fool. He'll get us all killed if someone doesn't mediate his actions. Look, you need to find Koushiro and try to invent something that will get the message of the need for troops out faster. I fear the messengers won't reach the provinces in time. Could you do that for me?" Ken answered, hurriedly.

Miyako stared at him for a moment, then grinned like a kid who's just been offered a candy bar.

"Of course! In fact, I'll do it just for you."

Ken blinked at her, not understanding, but he did nod. At least she'd do it. Still, he had to make sure…

"And make sure you get Koushiro, at least to help you! I don't think your bombs with fancy names will help us here."

She pretended to pout. "They're not bombs with fancy names!" Then she grinned again. "I will, though. Good luck!"

Ken smiled. "Thanks. I have a feeling I could use it."

-----*****-----

Taichi was overseeing the last-minute preparations for the march. Those Dark Rider bastards would pay for the death of his father! He had never led a war effort before, but just the thought of killing Dark Riders was sufficient grounds for the move. He didn't even care about getting the Temple back. Hey, it wasn't like he actually _wanted_ to be crowned king, but he did want the authority to run this war…

Suddenly a figure in full battle armor ran up out of nowhere, slightly out of breath. Taichi looked up distractedly. "Who is… If it's about the rations I… Ichijouji? But…"

Ken caught his breath before standing to attention. "I'm coming with."

Taichi stared at him for a moment. "Wait, you're one of Hikari's friends, right?"

Ken nodded, looking for a moment like he was trying to order his thoughts into intelligent phrases, but somehow not quite managing it. "I…I've done an extensive study of battle tactics and the history of warfare, and as it's an open secret that there's a distinct lack of military advisors…Okay, let's just say I couldn't just sit at home and watch you leave without me. I want to serve my country to the best of my ability, and…"

Taichi grinned. "It's nice to know there're other people who take this war effort seriously, who I can be certain aren't trying to suck up to me or avoid saying anything to not get kicked out of the council. I appreciate your offer, but you're even younger than I am and I'd hate to get any of my sister's closest friends killed…"

Ken looked away. "She doesn't consider me one of her closest friends. As for the other, I don't care if I die. Hikari's got Takeru anyway…"

Taichi mentally kicked himself. How long ago had he stopped paying attention to his sister's life? The time had passed so quickly… Still, the boy's arguments were legitimate, and it was hardly like he couldn't use the help. He didn't even pretend to know anything about military tactics, himself. Sure, he was _supposed_ to know it, but…he always hated lessons and just crammed before tests and stuff, forgetting everything afterwards. Hikari knew that, and she might easily have told her friends about it. Still, his showing up prompted questions in Taichi's mind. He'd never been quite so sure of himself as he liked to appear, and he began doubting the intelligence of his insistence to move out immediately. Still, he wasn't going to stop now. He wanted to see Dark Rider heads roll.

Taichi grinned. "Any suggestions as of the moment?"

Ken made a face as if he'd feared that question, but calmed himself and looked serious. "It's my personal opinion that you should have waited to ready the troops. We should have given the messengers time to carry out their duty. However, it's too far into motion to stop right here. It might lower the morale of the men if you were to draw them back now, and that might be the greater of the two evils. I took the liberty to instruct Miyako and Koushiro…I mean Inventor Izumi and his apprentice…"

Taichi waved it off. "Koushiro's a personal friend of mine. You don't have to treat me like the king in council."

Ken nodded. "Well, I instructed them to begin work on a device that might still relay the message in a timely fashion so the provinces would have at least a little time to draw together the necessary troops to add to our armed forces."

Taichi regarded the younger boy with interest. "You know, I never even thought of that. Thanks for offering your help. It wouldn't even have occurred to me call on your services. You're young enough that I didn't immediately think of calling on you."

Ken smiled sheepishly. "It'll be hard to get used to referring to you as the prince and not as Taichi."

Taichi grinned back. "Don't worry, I can call you by your first name, too… Uh, that is?"

Ken smiled slightly. "Ken, just Ken."

Taichi sighed. "Well, Ken, from this moment onward, you are my official military tactical advisor. When I'm king, I'll make a place on the council for you. Its lack of military intelligence is good in peacetime, but ridiculous in war."

Ken nodded, though he didn't look exactly pleased. "I thank you Taichi."

-----*****-----

"You know, that's a pretty dangerous plan! I mean, for me." Ryo grinned.

Yamato sighed. "It's okay if you don't want to do it…"

Ryo laughed at this. "No, that's why I want to do it! Okay, you're right, it is a good idea, and probably necessary. Just one question: How are we going to convince the Council? I know they don't like you."

Yamato smirked. "I was hoping you could manage that, which is why I came and told you about it first. They don't accept anything I suggest point-blank. I have the Dark One's authorization to run the battle, or they wouldn't even permit me to do that!"

Ryo cocked his head inquisitively. "Why would she put someone in command who's basically powerless?"

Yamato rolled his eyes. "I think she overestimates her power. Even the most feared and respected leader can't stand up against people's well-worn customs. It just doesn't work that way. Sure, some things can be changed, when the time is right. But others…" He shook his head.

Ryo grinned. "So, why didn't you have me summoned? Surely the common fighters don't purposely disobey you? That would just be too weird."

Yamato shook his head. "I guess my customs are just as well-worn as the people's. Now, if I'm really lucky, the Council already sent a summons for me."

Ryo laughed at this. "I didn't know you could be ironic."

Yamato grinned. "It's hard not to be, with an opposition like that."

-----*****-----

Miyako couldn't stop grinning. Ken had asked _her_ for _help_! Okay, sure he'd asked her to get Koushiro to do it, but what the hell. She was the only one he'd told about his plan to save the kingdom from a prince who was, by all appearance, beyond rational thinking. That had to mean something, right? On the other hand, he'd referred to her inventions as bombs with fancy names…and that wasn't exactly very nice. Still, he'd come to her for help, and she'd be damned if she'd let him down!

Going over to her worktable, she suddenly realized that she didn't have any ideas whatsoever. She propped her head up on the table. Well, there was always the technology she'd used for the Scrying box… If she could turn that around to make it send things over a distance, too… But they didn't have anything to transmit the message _to_… Hmm, that was a problem…

Without even thinking about it, she called out, "Koushiro!"

As luck would have it, he was just coming back in. Miyako had her back to the door, which is why she hadn't seen him. He had already begun, "Say did you know… Oh, what is it?"

Miyako just realized she'd have to tell him everything now. Her habits had gotten away with her again. Then again, maybe she could pass it off as…

"Uh…I'm trying to invent something that can send messages instantaneously over long distances, without a receiver on the other end." Miyako grinned, hoping he'd fall for it.

Koushiro shook his head at her. "What are you hiding from me?"

Miyako sagged. She should have known she couldn't trick him.

"Ken came by and gave me an earful of Taichi's bad military tactics. He decided to go with as an unofficial councilor in military tactics, and he asked _me_ to see if I could remedy at least _some_ of Taichi's more immediate mistakes and invent something to get the messages out to the provinces in a timely fashion."

Koushiro eyed her carefully. "You know, I think you like him."

Miyako blushed a bright pink. "Well, maybe just a little…"

"Well…" Koushiro set down the load of junk that he'd carried in from somewhere. "In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Miyako grinned sheepishly. "I could definitely use some suggestions."

"Why don't you make the same three dimensional image appear right in front of them? In fact, we can use the Scrying box to check if our messages were received! …Wait, Taichi took it. Prodigious! Still, we have the directions, so it shouldn't be a problem to make a new one…" Koushiro trailed off.

Miyako grinned. "Yeah! And we can make the settings the same on both, so we can make sure we're sending it to the right place to begin with!"

Koushiro nodded. "Then you should begin with the sketches right now. I'll start pulling together some of the materials we'll be needing, and then begin building another Scrying box. Now, where did I put those directions…" He headed single-mindedly into the back workroom, nearly stepping on an airtight bag of highly explosive gases that would probably have shot his foot off if he'd made the slightest misstep.

Miyako shook her head, walking over and placing it up onto a counter. "Ken was right: I need Koushiro for this…despite all his faults…"

-----*****-----

Once Takeru awoke in the middle of nowhere, he wondered what he was doing there. The night before, everything had seemed so logical: He had to find Gennai and help save his brother. However, in the daylight he found himself taking a much more logical view of the matter. Sure, there was no way around it; he still had to find Gennai. On the other hand, he realized that he had no idea where to look. All he knew was that Gennai lived somewhere out in the Blackwood Forest. In fact, that's all _anyone_ knew. For a moment, he considered going back. Just then he heard trumpets in the distance. From the vantage point of a nearby hill, he looked out to find the one thing he hadn't expected, but felt he really should have. Naturally Taichi would have followed through with his rash decision to move out in the morning. Takeru had secretly hoped he might reconsider, but Taichi didn't tick like that. But the knowledge that they were indeed already moving out made the thing official: If he wanted to save his brother's life, he would have to move quickly. Without another pause, he went back to his makeshift campsite and got his stuff together. His horse was still grazing from the picket line he'd tied it to. He replaced the saddlebags, removed the picket line and stashed it away in one of them. He'd just have to hope he'd find the old sage in time. That decision fresh in his mind, he set his horse off at a trot towards the Blackwood Forest.

When he got there, he discovered a fresh problem: The growth was so thick that the merest thought of bringing his horse in was out of the question. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to reach them in time once he got the answer if he didn't have the horse. If he just left it out on a long picket line, it might be stolen. However, he didn't think people would risk coming too close to the Blackwood Forest, especially with so much else going on. Still, how could he make sure the poor animal got enough to eat while he was gone? The picket area would only go so far, and then he'd have to come back, at least to move it.

He turned to his horse. "You can stand a little less food than normal. You're absolutely pampered up there at the castle!"

The horse watched him as if to say, "Food?"

Takeru sighed. "Okay. I promise to be back and move it after two days at the most, okay?"

He stroked the horse's muzzle and it whinnied happily.

TK sighed and turned towards the foreboding forest. "And now to you."

-----*****-----

Mimi stood up and wiped her forehead. She snapped her fingers, and the fawn awoke out of its trance. It stood up again carefully, on wobbly legs, then walked over to its mother, who Mimi had penned up in the meantime. Mimi smiled. It had taken hours to remove that coil of wire from its stomach! And then sewing it up again and everything…

She walked around a bit to loosen her stiff muscles, then knelt again to gather her things together. She went over and petted the small fawn. It looked up at her with wide, watery eyes, as if pleading for her to help his mother. Mimi smiled and opened the pen, letting the mother attend to her young one. The animals and monsters of the Blackwood Forest knew her by now, but a concerned mother would occasionally panic when she had to perform an operation like this, so she had built a pen for the purpose of keeping them out of the way. The doe, seeing that her young one was in order again, turned and licked Mimi on the cheek. Mimi laughed, but pushed her away.

"I'm just glad he's okay again. You really should watch your young ones more carefully."

She then waved to the two as she went into her small, one-roomed cabin. She put away her sewing tools and the rest of the poultices she'd used for the operation. Then something struck her and she turned around. She snapped her fingers. "I almost forgot! I'll have to go and gather some more herbs! I'm almost out of some of the more important ones!"

Sighing, she went and took her basket out of the alcove near the door that served as a set of shelves. She briefly remembered her mother having done the same thing for a moment, and paused, gulping. That had been the morning when the first monsters had arrived. Her mother had rushed out to help a group of frightened rabbits that'd fallen into a pit and had never returned. That was many years ago now. Her father had gone out looking for her and never come back, either. Later Mimi had found large, human bones in a pit with small rabbit bones, all marked by the teeth of some ferocious beast, though it was no animal she was familiar with. Mimi had separated out the human bones and buried them together. For lack of a place to go, she had remained in the forest, looking after the little cabin by herself. It was the only way of life she knew. Despite her expectations, she wasn't in the least lonely. The animals were all her friends and all willing to listen if she had something to say to them. By now she had learned to speak the language of the birds and beasts of the forest, though there were a few like deer that she just couldn't get. Even the larger and more ferocious animals were no strangers to her, but she always had to be wary of the monsters. Especially since they were invisible… Also, there was that old man she saw wandering around sometimes, though she could never catch up with him enough to see where he lived. Every time she'd followed him, out of curiosity, she came to the edge of a lake, where the path ended. Now, it was obvious he couldn't live in the lake, so apparently he'd laid a false trail for her. But for that he'd have to be an even better woodsman than she was, which was not very likely. On the other hand, what other possibilities were there?

Mimi smiled slightly, "Mother would be proud if she could see me now. I've become a true creature of the forest. Still, I wonder what normal human settlements are like. I've never seen the world outside this forest in my entire life. I wonder what goes on outside this woody sanctuary."

She walked down the path away from the house. She knew exactly where to find the herbs she was looking for; she'd gathered them many a time in the past.

-----*****-----

Takeru looked to the left, and then looked to the right; but all the trees looked basically the same. He slumped to the ground. What had he gotten himself into, now? He couldn't even figure out which direction he'd come from any more!

Gradually he became aware of a noise, almost like a soft rumbling of thunder. He sincerely hoped that didn't mean it was going to rain. At a time like this, that was the very last thing he needed.

It was then he began to hear what almost sounded like…footfalls? He stood, his senses beginning to ring all the alarms, but there was nothing in sight. He crouched down slightly, his hand going to his sword, eyes moving constantly, trying to spy movement on the forest floor… There! Or was that the wind? The footfalls had stopped, and he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever it was, it was standing right in front of him. Takeru shook his head. Maybe it was just his nerves. After all, this forest could really get to you…

And then it attacked. Takeru was knocked down by the force of what felt like huge paws, almost knocking the wind out of him and ripping through his light, leather armor like it was soft cheese. When Takeru saw the blood and felt the pain, he knew for certain that his mind was not playing tricks on him. He was a good fighter, but it's hard to fight an enemy you can't even see. Confronted with this entirely new situation for which he had come totally unprepared, Takeru did the same thing anyone would do in the same situation: He panicked. He was only barely aware of what was going on, but kept slashing at it repeatedly with his dagger, since the weight of the thing prevented him from drawing his sword. The creature drew back with an inhuman cry, and Takeru even thought he could see it for a moment as he drove the blade home, before he completely lost consciousness.

-----*****-----

Miyako looked up from her efforts and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She'd been working straight through for what felt like hours, still without a plan that promised to work!

Koushiro came around the corner of the back room with a slightly smaller version of the Scrying box in his hands. "I took the liberty of making a few changes. I think I know why it…Miyako, is something wrong?"

She slammed her hands down on the table and burst into tears. "I just can't get anything down that looks good! Ken will be disappointed and he'll hate me and we'll lose the war and…"

Koushiro put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down a little. Maybe you're a little too emotionally involved. Try taking a break for a while and then come back to it. You can't force ideas."

Miyako shook her head. "But Ken's depending on me…"

Koushiro sighed. "What was the first thing I ever taught you?"

Miyako looked up. "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration…and necessarily in that order…"

Koushiro nodded. "Exactly. You can't help your crush at all with merely the ninety-nine percent perspiration. You need to be with it one hundred percent, but you're worried about Ken. Take a break and come back when you're ready to give everything you have to the process of creation."

Miyako wiped her eyes and nodded. "I'll try…"

Koushiro grinned. "Great! Just one more thing: I think I've figured out what happened the first time that made it smell funny and nearly blow up."

Miyako looked up, forgetting her tears. "Really? What!"

Koushiro looked down at the device in his hands. "It's complicated. Actually, I have to tell you that the device shouldn't have worked with the energy source you used. In fact, it's a wonder it worked at all. It must have been getting its energy from something else that was not entirely compatible to the construction."

She blinked at him. "I don't understand."

Koushiro shook his head. "Neither do I, but it's worth thinking about. It might help take your mind off of things."

Miyako grinned at him. "Thanks! I'll be back soon…"

Koushiro smiled. "Good luck."

With that, Miyako ran out the door to the workshop.

-----*****-----

Takeru awoke with a start to find himself lying in a comfortable bed in a small cabin. Takeru blinked as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" He asked nearly unintelligibly, more of himself than of anyone else.

"You know, you're pretty stupid." A voice spoke.

Takeru attempted to sit up. He hadn't even noticed he wasn't alone! But he suddenly felt dizzy and flopped back down on the bed again, groaning.

Just then a brown-haired young woman came into sight from somewhere behind him, clicking her tongue. "Imagine trying to take on one of those invisible monsters by yourself. I mean, seriously now!"

Takeru groaned. "I have to find the sage Gennai…"

This seemed to spark her interest. "So that's his name! Well, good luck finding him, especially in your condition. You have to rest at least another day or so!"

Takeru tried to sit up again but fell back down. "No! I have to find Gennai and save my brother…"

The girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're not going anywhere, understand? I might not know much else, but I do know my art. You are staying _right_ here."

Takeru stared at her, not daring to move his head. For some reason, it was feeling rather tender.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here? What are these monsters? Why are you helping me? How…"

She raised a hand, interrupting him. "Stop! Stop! I can only answer one question at a time! Okay, my name is Mimi Tachikawa and this is my little cabin in the woods. As for how you got here; I carried you, obviously. And I had a rather personal reason for helping you: my parents were both killed by the monsters. They just came up out of nowhere and decided to make this neck of the woods into their new humble abode. Naturally, uninvited."

Takeru bit his lip. Maybe he'd gone a little too far. The thing with her parents seemed to have really upset her, and he owed her his life… "I'm sorry… I just don't have the time to sit around here twiddling my thumbs while a war is conducted in the outside world!"

Mimi shook her head. "You know, for a guy who obviously has at least some latent magical talent, you're pretty dense, you know that? Look: try to stand up! Hell, you can't even sit up. So how're you gonna find some elusive sage that even I, having lived here all my life, can't find, huh? Just lay there and try to get better. That's all the world demands of you right now."

Takeru scowled. "But that's not all I demand of myself."

Mimi clicked her tongue and sighed. "Okay, whatever. If it's really that important to you, I'll go out and see if I can find the guy, but tomorrow. I wasn't just walking out in the woods for fun when I ran across you, I was gathering herbs. And if I don't hurry, I'll never get them before night falls and the monsters get really bad. And in that case, there's precious little I could do for you in anyway. I know you're not as stupid as you look, so what part of your upbringing made you so thick-headed?"

Takeru sighed. "I'm worried about my brother, is that too difficult to understand? And I have to return to my lady back at the castle…"

Mimi grinned. "So that's the way of it. Now you're beginning to make some sense, _finally_. Look, I'm really sorry about your brother, but for now you need to take care of yourself. How can you help your brother if you kill yourself running into the next-best monster?"

Takeru relaxed. She was absolutely right, and he was acting like Taichi…and that was the guy who caused half of this mess in the first place. "In how many days can I travel again?" He asked, dreading the answer.

Mimi sighed. "That depends entirely on how much blood you lost. Look, I'll talk to you later, okay? I really meant it about the herbs."

Takeru sighed and nodded.

"That's a good boy." Mimi said. He heard footfalls and a door closing, and then it was only half as light.

-----*****-----

Mimi shook her head. She might only have learned a few magical tricks from her mother to use in healing, but to fight an invisible monster and win… That took not only a great deal of courage, and or stupidity, but also a large portion of luck, and or magic. And when she'd tried to do a simple sleep spell on him, that guy's body had actually shielded against her magic! She couldn't hardly pretend to be an expert, but that just _had_ to mean something. And then the war he mentioned…

She shook her head and looked up at the sky. "You hear me God? I am _not_ leaving my home! You'll have to come up with something better than a noble fool with latent magic ability to get me to move house!"

Needless to say, she didn't get an answer. Still, she felt a lot better about the whole thing.

"Okay, now that that's settled, I'd better…"

There was a slight rustling sound and movement. Mimi looked up and was shocked to see the very last person in the world she'd expected.

"Oh, God, what are you punishing me for? I really need those herbs!" She chided in the general direction of the sky, but sighed and looked ahead at the figure only a short distance away through the forest.

"Hello, old man. I hear your name's Gennai. I have a question: Does God have it in for me or what?"

He grinned. "Well, that depends entirely on your perspective, Tachikawa."

-----*****-----

"And that's why I think Ryo should appear to be in charge." Yamato finished.

After some discussion, he had managed to convince Yamato to carry his idea to the Council himself. After all, Ryo didn't have the authority to do so, and they might actually start to respect his decisions. That, he was convinced, outweighed the obvious disadvantage of their dislike for the second-in-command. From the looks on the Council's faces, Yamato was beginning to wonder if Ryo made a better politician than him. Or maybe he just understood people better…

The speaker stood. "What you suggest is an interesting proposal. We will have to discuss the matter at length. You have other matters to attend to, I imagine. We will convey our answer at our leisure and at such a time as it shall have been reached."

Yamato nodded and left the Council tent. Well, that was the best he could hope for. Now the matter was in their hands. And they were right; he did have a lot to do. After all, there were preparations to be made for a prolonged stay. If they were to conduct a battle against a superior force as soon as this could arrive, they should at least be able to choose the place. He completely agreed with the Dark One on that point. But why did she move out with a good part of their forces? He had to admit he didn't understand it. Nor had she made a real effort to explain. He knew they were going to take the castle at the capitol, but why divide their forces? Unless it had something to do with the prophecy… He nodded to himself. That had to be it. She didn't want to endanger the entire mission just because of some stupid prophecy made back in Khire…

He shook his head. "Now I'm getting confused. I don't know what she was thinking, leaving me in charge. I'm just not cut out for a top command position…"

"Feeling sorry for yourself?" A voice sounded.

Yamato looked up. "Ryo! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you have gone back on duty?"

Ryo laughed. "The Council brought me up there and told me about my new duties. I was also used as a messenger to send to you, to let you know your suggestion was accepted."

Yamato looked worried. "This is too easy…"

Ryo smirked and nodded. "You know, I think they're planning to get rid of you. If I pretend to be the leader, it would be easy for them to convince the main body of the troops that I am. Especially if they want to believe it."

Yamato felt his chest tighten. He suddenly became aware of just how dependent he really was on the Dark One. She had him under her wing all this time, and he was hardly out on his own when the Council was quietly trying to get rid of him. Maybe she was testing him to see if he was worthy of his position…

"What should I do?" He asked Ryo, hoping the other had an idea out of this mess.

Ryo shrugged. "Just make sure they can't bump you off. Of course you could also… Hmmm… Do you _like_ being second-in-command to an army that doesn't even like you?"

Yamato was shocked by the question. "I…I don't know…"

Ryo nodded. "I thought as much. Give the matter some thought. You could pretend to die in the battle, and then escape. I'd even help you. It's not that I'm particularly eager for your position, but I kind of feel sorry for you. It must be tough having been an outsider all your life and never having got a chance to learn the game of politics. I'd rather see you desert than fall victim to a political assassination."

Yamato gulped and nodded. Despite himself, he had to agree. And then the Dark One's words came to mind: 'Just one thing: promise me you won't get killed.' He couldn't help but wonder: Had she already known?

-----*****-----

After wandering about aimlessly for a while, Miyako found herself once again in front of Ken's door. This had to be the third time that had happened! She looked down the hallway, but there was no one in sight. Although it wasn't usually her style, she reached out gingerly and tried the handle. To her surprise, she found it unlocked. All the maids had keys to come in and change the bedding in the rooms of those higher-born people who chose to live here at the castle, but they always left a room the way they found it. Ken must have been in such a hurry that he hadn't even locked it after him. That was unusual, because he always locked it, even if he was only gone for five minutes. His books were too valuable to leave unguarded, even in the best of cases. She stood there for a moment, indecisive, but then pushed open the door and entered, quickly shutting it behind her.

She found herself facing a very normal, almost meticulously tidy room with a small, overstuffed bookshelf on one wall. The only signs that it was lived in, at least up until that same morning, was a book laying out on the table. Drawing closer, she found it to be a detailed history of the last Dark Rider invasion ages before. She grinned. To think anyone was interested in that stuff… Stepping up to the bookshelf, she found it to be full of military history and lectures on military tactics. There was one, obviously imported, narrow book among the large tomes with some funny symbols on the side that looked like confused bits of wire. She wondered off-handedly if the person who made up their written language was an inventor… The one thing that was obvious was that, whatever it said, it was also a book on military tactics.

Although she felt slightly guilty about it, she started opening drawers in the desk. There was one with writing materials, one with empty pages, probably for notes. Then a small one caught her eye. Pulling it out, she found the only thing it contained was a single, small painting, covered with glass. It was some kind of a family portrait, but a piece of cloth had been pasted over one part of it. She frowned. Ken's deceased father and mother were quite apparent, and one child, who might be Ken, was visible. At closer observation, she found the piece of cloth to be pasted over what looked to be a face. Was that Osamu? Ken had never talked about his reasons for coming to the capitol, and she had always just taken it for granted. Did it have something to do with his older brother? She turned away, replacing the picture face down, as she had found it. It wasn't any of her business, anyway. Still, she couldn't help but continue her search through the drawers in the desk. All the others seemed to be full of the expected. There were notes, diagrams of battles, and psychological analyses of various personality types who might be in the position of general and how they would have to have come to power and how to recognize them through their tactics, figure out their strategies and use their weaknesses against them. The family portrait was the only object in the room that actually suggested the inhabitant was truly human.

Looking around, she wondered how long he'd been obsessed with intelligent warfare. They had all known that he spent a lot of time studying stuff. Daisuke had even made an occasional joke about Ken actually _wanting_ to study, but nobody really knew what he was so busy learning. At least, if they did they hadn't told her. Ken was such a nice, quiet, kind, intelligent guy, who seemed more peaceable than warlike, but then where did all these books come from? Oh, yeah…hadn't he said something about that? He said he hadn't wanted to go either. On the other hand, he had made it quite obvious that he didn't want to get them all killed by some fool of a prince, more bent on revenge than on saving the country. Apparently he had an idealistic streak no one had known about. Then again, it's hard to know a guy who's so closed off to the world that he never talks about himself. Ken was constantly observing others, while displaying nothing of himself. This would make him a good general, come to think of it, but Miyako couldn't help but wonder if he was lonely sometimes and just wanted someone to make the effort to breach those walls and capture the bright soul within…

Miyako stopped. Gradually a grin crossed her face and she bounded out the door, almost slamming it behind her as she rushed down the hall in the general direction of the workshop. She felt like yelling "Eureka!" Finally she had gotten her inspiration.

-----*****-----

"So it's begun then." Gennai sighed, after Mimi had told him everything she had found out from her little guest.

She cocked her head to the side, confused. "What's begun?"

He smiled. "I should have known it when the monsters showed up."

Mimi blinked. "Known what?"

Gennai just grinned. "And then the other signs…"

Mimi began shaking with frustration. "What the hell are you talking about!"

Gennai looked up at her, grinning broadly. "Did you say something?"

The pretty brown-haired girl shook her fists in a gesture of frustration.

The old man raised a hand to calm her. "It's okay, I was just teasing. No, this is the war it talks about in the old prophecies. Now, if I could only find the things…"

He went into a back room and started audibly shifting and throwing things out of his way. An occasional stray object came flying out, so instead of trying to dodge it all, Mimi seated herself down next to the window and sighed, looking out. They were in the old sage's house at the bottom of the lake. She wondered how he could stand it down there at first, but she was beginning to understand. Despite the strange company - Who could understand what fish were thinking? - It was rather cozy down here. The water kept the warmth of daylight long into the night, and the insulation protected the house from the wind and weather - though not from the water. She smiled. Once, when she was really little, she'd asked her mother what the forest was called. Her mother had smiled, patted her on the head and said, "You know, fish don't have a word for water. So why should we have a name for the forest?"

At the time, that had seemed quite logical to her. Now that she was here and trying to reach out with her mind to talk to the fish, as she did with some of the more intelligent animals, she kept getting confused. Their cold and watery world was so different from her woodsy, airy world up on the surface that the fishes' thoughts were completely foreign to her. She couldn't quite decipher them, and eventually she stopped trying and just watched them swim to and fro before the glass windows.

Just then Gennai came back in, shaking his head. "I must have them somewhere in there, but the place is so cluttered up since your Mom stopped coming to clean it that I can't find anything in there."

At this, Mimi looked up. "You knew my mother?"

Gennai smiled. "Of course I did, Tachikawa-chan. We were good friends and neighbors."

Mimi sat down and smiled. "Why didn't I…"

He waved it off. "That can be explained another time, but you should bring the young man down here. It's a dangerous place on the surface at the moment, and he's pretty much defenseless."

Mimi nodded. She had to see the sense in that. However… "I can't carry him down here on my own."

The old man waved this off, too. "Why don't you ask your animal friends to do you a little favor? I'm sure they wouldn't mind after everything you've done for them."

She cocked her head at him. "You know, that's not a bad idea…"

Gennai grinned. "I never have bad ideas!" Then he laughed, though Mimi didn't see the humor in it.

"Uh…yeah. Well, I'd better get going then. How do you open this place up, anyway?"

Gennai thought for a moment. "You're right. You should get going."

Mimi felt like she could strangle him, but if her mother could handle his quirks, then, by God, so could she. She forced a smile. "I agree. So, could you open it?"

Gennai looked around for a moment. "Ah, here it is…" With that, he pulled out a board with a bunch of buttons on it from under a pile of stuff. "I knew I had it here somewhere…" He pushed a combination of buttons and a screen appeared out of nowhere with a bunch of little ideograms, or at least that's what Mimi figured they had to be. It's not like she could read them… However, she'd be damned before she'd admit that, so she didn't say anything. Within moments, a little diagram of the house showed up, and the water disappeared from the stairs they'd come down. The whole time, the little old man was typing away to his heart's content. Mimi had to admit the connection between the movement on the screen and the buttoned board was an absolute enigma to her, but she held her tongue. "Thank you. I will be back shortly, then."

He grinned. "Oh, take your time…"

She sighed. "Aha… So, how will I let you know to open it up?"

He handed her a stick with more buttons on it. "You take this with and press this button at the edge of the lake."

Mimi stared at the stick with buttons. "So…this button?"

Gennai smiled. "No, the blue one. Blue for the lake."

Mimi scratched her head. "How is pressing a button going to part a lake?"

He just smiled at her. "Trust me, it will."

Mimi looked at him skeptically for a moment before carefully taking the stick in her hand and looking at it carefully, turning it over and over. She blinked a couple of times, but then shrugged, putting it in her basket. "Okay, so it was the red one?"

Gennai slapped his forehead. That gave Mimi an idea. "Why don't I just tell you when we're there?"

At this he looked up in sudden interest. "How were you intending to reach me at the bottom of the lake?"

Mimi shrugged. "It's easy. A simple mind-call and…"

At this, a little light began to gleam in Gennai's eyes. "Yes! I mean, try it now!"

She turned her head a little and stared at his suddenly eager face. "Okay, I suppose…"

Gennai looked like he was torn between doing a little victory dance and waiting for her to do it. Mimi stared at him, but reached out carefully. So, can you hear me? 

Gennai clapped his hands. "Wow! So that's what it feels like! Your mother would never do that for me. She always seemed to find my interest in it went a little beyond the normal… And that just because I was curious! No, thanks, uh, what's your first name, anyway?"

Mimi smiled a little skeptically. "Uh…Mimi. My name is Mimi."

"Well, Mimi-chan, you can leave the remote control here then…"

Mimi blinked at him. "Is that what the funny stick with the buttons is called?" She pulled out the…remote control? It fit: a funny name for a funny device. She blinked at it a couple more times before handing it to the old man, who didn't even notice she was holding it out until the last moment when he took it and grinned at her.

"So, hear you as soon as possible?" He asked, eagerly. "That really feels cool…"

Mimi smiled skeptically and nodded. "I'll try not to be long…"

As Mimi left, she heard Gennai going off into the other room muttering, "I could have sworn I left it here somewhere…"

-----*****-----

When Takeru awoke with a start, he found himself alone. This was hardly surprising, as he knew that Mimi had gone out to gather herbs, but the silence made him uneasy. There was an utter absence of animal noises. The fly he'd been watching crawl along the ceiling when he'd started dozing was still there, but it didn't move or make any sound at all. It was almost like it was…listening? Maybe… And then the door banged open and Mimi stood there panting, a look of alarm on her face. She closed the door behind her and slid to the ground, still trying to catch her breath. When she had recovered slightly, she came over to the bedside. Takeru wanted to ask her what was wrong, but Mimi raised a finger to her lips. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head.

You alright? 

He started, and then stared at her, blinking. Finally he nodded.

Mimi breathed a sigh of relief. Look, I've got to find some way to get you out of here. I never thought those monsters were nearly that intelligent… 

Takeru blinked at her uncomprehendingly. He was getting over the initial shock of the unexpected form of communication, but that didn't mean he understood what she was referring to.

Mimi sighed. They've decided that you're too dangerous for them and actually intend to attack in number. I'm no great mage, and I have no way of fighting them. I don't even know what you did earlier… 

Takeru opened his mouth, but Mimi shook her head. Then he tried to think an answer at her, in case she might pick it up. I just kind of knew where it was… 

Mimi held her head as if it were ready to burst. You know, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't scream into my head. It's not very comfortable. 

Takeru tried not to exert quite so much force. Is…this okay? 

Mimi sighed. If that's the best you can do, whatever. We can fine-tune it later. Now, can you get up, or do I have to carry you? I've rigged a kind of a litter outside and hooked it up to a couple of my friends. 

Takeru tried to sit up. It made him dizzy, but he did manage it. Mimi reached out an arm and hooked it under his arm on the opposite side. He put an arm around her shoulders and both pulled to get him into an upright position. Takeru was surprised at Mimi's apparent strength. He was fighting with dizziness and couldn't properly set one foot in front of the other. Mimi had to pretty much carry him all the way. By the time she set him in it, he couldn't see anything any more and just barely noticed it had started moving at all.

-----*****-----

Mimi wiped the sweat from her forehead. That guy was heavier than she remembered! She sent a mental message to Gennai that the young man was on his way and he'd have to be at the top to help him get down at all. Herself, she shook her head. She knew she was probably being stupid, but she didn't care. If she died luring them onto a false trail, nobody would mourn her, except perhaps that eccentric old man. She'd be damned if anyone else were going to die unnecessarily! Smiling, she went back into the small house and removed the sheet. She sniffed a little at it, then nodded: It still had his smell on it. Having lived all her life in the woods, she'd learned how to smell like an animal. Whatever these monsters were, they mainly used the sense of smell, too. Her experience had told her that.

She covered the first part of Takeru's real trail with fresh earth, then went back to the entrance of the house where she'd left Takeru's sheet and started dragging it along the ground in a totally different direction. The smell of fresh earth would cover Takeru's smell admirably, and his smell on the blanket should cause them to follow her instead; or at least so she hoped. Then again, they'd already proven themselves more intelligent than she had thought remotely possible, so they might actually see through the trick…but no. There was no way they could have prior understanding of a trick like this. She might not be able to use it twice, but she could use it once; and that once was now.

-----*****-----

Somewhere along the ride, Takeru began to become aware of his surroundings again. What he saw made him wonder if he was still dreaming. He was on a kind of sturdy fabric sled, being pulled by a pair of deer. But that wasn't the strangest part: He was coming up to a lake with a hole in it, and a little old man standing at the top of it grinning like a small child that's just been given a piece of candy. Suddenly it struck Takeru to wonder what had happened to Mimi. He reached out tentatively to find her, but she was nowhere around. He started. Was she okay? He hated to think she'd put herself in danger for his sake… Then again, it would probably have something to do with her parents, anyway…

"Well, so there you are. Mimi-chan was telling me all about you…"

Takeru stared at the old man, trying to think. "Are you the sage Gennai?"

Gennai grinned. "Am I that renowned? And that even though I made special precautions to keep a reputation for being secretive and reclusive… Ah, well."

Takeru blinked. This was the sage Gennai; the one who he had hoped could help him save his brother? He began to wonder if he should have tried something more direct, like accompanying Prince Taichi. This guy was absolutely ridiculous. Still, maybe the old man could still help him. You should never judge a book by its cover. Takeru decided to try and cover common ground in the meantime. "Where's Mimi?"

Gennai smiled. "She's a resourceful young woman. Naturally she's covering your tracks. From what I can tell, she wouldn't want the monsters to claim any further victims."

Takeru stopped. That meant she was still in danger… "I'll have to mind-call and tell her I've arrived…"

At this, Gennai looked peculiarly interested. "Mind-call? You mean, she taught you how to do that? Do you think I could learn, too? I like people mind-calling me, it feels cool."

Takeru blinked. "Um…whatever."

Whatever he did, he'd have to call her up here. Once he started moving, he'd start losing consciousness again, and then he'd be in no position to do anything. He started to reach out as though with fingertips, feeling for her mind. When he found it, he called. I'm at the lake now. 

She took a while to answer, making him doubt for a moment that she'd heard him. Then he felt her words as strongly as if she were standing right next to him. Then get help and start going down! I'll be there as soon as I can, don't worry. Gennai can hear me, even if he isn't particularly telepathic himself. 

Takeru restrained himself from asking what 'telepathic' meant, but only for the moment. He made a mental note to ask her about it later. For the moment, however, his main concern had to be getting down that flight of stairs, and his chances of getting down without falling into the water on either side didn't look to be all that promising. However, he soon found that he needn't have worried. As soon as Gennai moved him onto the steps and made him sit down, they started moving downward, taking him to the bottom of the lake. Gennai unhitched the deer and let them go before following.

-----*****-----

Mimi breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was safe, which could hardly be said of her. They had taken a while to discover the trail, but they'd been hot on her heels for some time already by the point she received the message. Knowing him to be safe, she was able to leave the sheet on the ground and swing up into a tree, not leaving so much as the slightest whiff of her smell, let alone his, on the trunk. This was vital, as she knew from experience that some of them were more than capable of clambering up after her and swinging through the trees much faster than she could jump. She'd have to climb a little further up for better cover and then bring all her noises to a standstill. She knew they could hear her. That's why she'd barely escaped with her life the last time. It took a well-placed sleep-spell and their apparent loyalty to each other to even get far enough away that she could escape. After that they had apparently decided that she was not one to pick a fight with, but not particularly dangerous if left alone, so they left her alone as well. Whatever they were, they were certainly no fools.

Just as she felt she was well enough hidden by the leaves and branches, she heard a twig snap on the ground and instantaneously froze. She didn't even dare to move into a slightly more comfortable position, for fear the branch would creak. Suddenly, and to her utter surprise, she heard voices below.

"Did anyone see where she went?"

"I think she's up a tree…"

"Yeah, but which tree? I can't get a single trail besides the one ending here…"

"She's probably gone by now, anyway. You've seen how she can move through the trees…"

Just then Mimi heard more footsteps nearing. "She tricked us, the murderer is gone."

"This is it! We left her alone until now, but this is called siding with an obvious enemy! You two: go back and burn up her house. Without a shelter, we'll get her sooner or later; even if she's smart enough not to return there immediately."

"And I always thought she was a rare, nice human, who likes animals…"

"Everyone can be wrong once in a while. Apparently we will have to destroy all humans, after all. Where did that false trail lead?"

"To the side of a lake and a couple of deer, who refused to talk. There were no other off-shoots."

"Damn… We'll have to await further developments. For the moment, we should go and await her at the clearing in case she tries to return to her home after all."

After that the footsteps retreated. Mimi breathed a sigh of relief that she had escaped with her life, but then the immensity of what she'd heard struck her. Destroy all humans? Was that her fault for saving that one man's life? Would the price of one person's rescue be the death of a race? She couldn't stand that kind of responsibility! Still, her decision was made and she could hardly go back on it now. And even if she did, it wouldn't make any difference. Wait…he'd only been defending himself! Or was the incident not meant to be an attack in the first place? Was it he who had misunderstood it in the first place? There were so many questions, but Mimi didn't have any answers. Climbing up even higher, she could see over the trees to find a trace of smoke already filing up from the general direction of the only home she had ever known. Her heart sank as she finally accepted her fate. Still, she felt she at least had the right to be mad about it! Raising a fist to the sky, she complained forcefully, though not loudly, "Stupid God, why couldn't you just leave me alone?!"

Silence greeted her, but she had the eerie feeling God was gloating at her, which just served to make her even more angry. Still, she had more important things to do at the moment. Climbing down a ways, she began jumping from tree to tree on her way to the lake. That eccentric old man had better not try to mess with her this time, she was in a worse mood than a snorting rhinoceros getting ready to charge.

-----*****-----

Lord Osamu Ichijouji stood. "The surplus money from this year's budget should go to the treasury to guard against the attack of the Dark Riders! Anyone with any sense can see it's only a matter of time before they attack the country again!"

Head of Council Henry Wong spoke up. "I'm inclined to agree with Takato, your lordship. In view of the long-term environmental issues at stake here, I think we should use it for incentives to cause the farmers to leave some of their fields to lie fallow. Our net food production is too great already, due to the new inventions we have received from the capitol. The farmers export most of the excess to the Dark Riders for a profit. Especially if there is an upcoming war, we will need to solve this problem before it gets out of hand. If the Dark Riders are defeated and enough of them are killed, the food will have nowhere to go…"

Lord Ichijouji smashed his fist down. "And if they defeat us, there might not be any farmers to harvest the fields in the first place! Am I the only one who takes this threat seriously? Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it! Before the last invasion the country also had adequate warning, but did not take it into account! The last invasion was caused by overpopulation on their part. We defeated them, and they found land elsewhere. Even merely the fact that there is such a market for excess food across the borders suggests the smaller people are facing hunger! Before the last invasion, the same sign was given! And it, too, was ignored. You press me to leave the province without resources to help fight a war? How many of you have ever seen war before? The last time we managed to defeat them by diplomacy, but this time that will not suffice! I tell you, they are preparing for the attack, if they have indeed not already mobilized their troops! I cannot permit this movement…"

Just then, everyone grew very quiet and stared at something behind his lordship. He whirled around to see a hologram of the princess, bowing slightly to the assembly. Then she held up a sign. Someone read aloud: "The king has been assassinated and Dark Riders have occupied the Temple. I pray you send reinforcement troops as speedily as possible to join those already marching for the scene of battle. I thank you for your time."

Then, as quickly as it had come, the hologram was gone.

Lord Ichijouji turned to his council. "I trust no one has any more objections to my suggestion?"

"We might still be able to solve this with diplomacy…" Henry began, but Takato intervened.

"I think most of us are on your side. We will take a vote, but I think most of us will be in favor of a war effort. If Prince Taichi is already marching, there is precious little we can do to prevent a war."

Henry wisely held his tongue in the face of the obvious opposition, even from his friend Takato. He didn't want to lose his reputation in the council for the sake of a decision he apparently couldn't do much to change, anyway. The best he could do was to take his defeat gracefully and hope for an opportunity to effect things later. Hence, when the ballots were cast, he voted in favor.

When the votes were counted, there was found to be a unanimous vote in favor of a war effort. However, Lord Ichijouji had one more thing to say. He stood and faced his council. "I consider myself well-guided to name a steward in my absence, who will also, in the event of my death, take on the role of running this province until my son is capable of doing so himself. This man must be thoroughly honest, not apt to invoke any radical changes, and capable of running things smoothly in my absence. Though we have often stood in opposition upon smaller matters, the choice is obvious. I appoint Henry Wong."

Henry stared at him, uncomprehendingly. Perhaps Lord Ichijouji thought more about his people than he let on… "I thank you for your faith in me, my lord. I will do my best to maintain the status quo in your absence, just as you express a desire for me to do."

Lord Ichijouji nodded. "The only major point left on the agenda is the fact that you must vote me the resources to fight this war."

As they settled down for a long debate, Henry took the opportunity to glance at his friend, Takato. He was relatively new to the council, as the last representative of the farmers had to retire, due to his increasing age and the strains of the day's travel from his village to the capitol of the province. All in all, he was taking well to his new role. Henry smiled. He could only hope the war wouldn't actually touch them here and shatter small families like Takato's apart. The brown-haired young man had only recently married a girl called, what was it? Oh, yeah, Jen. Henry hadn't been able to be present at the wedding, as he was otherwise occupied as one of the only permanent members of the council. It wasn't that he was absolutely against war. He knew how to fight if necessary, but he generally preferred other methods to outright battle. Perhaps, after all, he _was_ the right choice for a steward…

-----*****-----

Yamato stood on a rocky outcropping, overlooking a narrow valley with steep, rock-strewn slopes on either side. He smiled. This would be an ideal place to meet the oncoming army, as well as being on the main road running south to the Temple from the capitol, anyway. First of all, it would be impossible for the most likely larger, opposing force to use their superior numbers to their advantage to outflank them: No matter what the size of one's army, only a certain number of men can stand in ranks with limited maneuvering space. Besides, if the man was as rash and tactically inept as the Dark One had judged him to be, then he could use the rocky slopes to hide a good number of men and ambush and outflank his opponent, attacking him from three sides simultaneously. The Dark One was depending on him, and he could hardly let her down! He'd just have to focus on the prince as his opponent, and set it separate from the face that would not leave his consciousness. When he really concentrated on something he could almost forget it for a moment, but as soon as his thoughts were left to themselves, there it was again. He still wasn't quite certain if he could actually kill the owner of that face if he faced him on the field of battle. But it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. In war you either survived, or you didn't. If you couldn't kill the guy in front of you, he would kill you. Not that Yamato particularly cared either way…but the Dark One was a friend, and she desired for him to live. She had told him so. Unlike himself, friends were worth living for. And then there was his little brother, somewhere on the enemy side. He wondered what he might look like by now. He only vaguely remembered him at all, so it was doubtless he would remember his face. But still, there was the blond hair. Amongst the Dark Riders, hair coloring showed up immediately: Either it was blond or black. It wasn't, say, blond at first to grow out dark later on. His father had told him that his brother was named Takeru and had blond hair, so that would be true. If Yamato decided to escape after the battle, he would follow all the way back to the capitol himself to look for his brother. Since his mother was a permanent resident there, Takeru would probably be there, too. Unless he was even now marching with the enemy…

Yamato shook his head, trying not to think about it. At least for the moment, he had a promise to keep to his commander and friend. Until he was released from that promise, he was obligated to follow through with this wherever it took him. She was his friend, and even if the whole body of the Dark Riders hated him and wanted him to bite the dust, he would stick around as long as he could. He owed her at least that much.

That decision made, he went back to oversee things back at the camp. Now that he knew where the first battle would take place, he could base the rest of his preparations off of that.

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Okay! Well, since that's done, I hope you liked it! It might be a while before I post the next part, since I pretty much had this part done before I posted the first part and I really do have a lot to do. Oh, and a note to those with a little more foreknowledge: Yes, the book with the funny "confused wires" writing was in Chinese. In fact, I was referring specifically to Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". It was written in China during the period of the Warring States. I specifically like the version translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Actually, I borrowed heavily from it for the military tactics in this story, all the way down to the assassination of the king in order to get Prince Taichi to react rashly. But I also used some of my knowledge out of military history and my own common sense, as well. I wish I could get a hand on Clausevitz' "On War"! He was a Prussian general…but I'm probably boring most of you to death. But if there is someone out there who reads this and knows where I can get a good copy of "On War", please e-mail me! Thank you!

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	3. Part III

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Okay! Sorry it took so long. I was busy, and then I had some problems and couldn't get on Internet for some time. Thankfully that's handled now! Okay, so here it is! I hope you enjoy… Oh, and don't worry. There won't be much in the way of military tactics in this chapter. Not that there won't be conflict… But you can't use particularly good military tactics very well unless both sides have skilled military tacticians, and these battles only have one on one side. Ah…sad is me. Nevertheless, I will include detailed strategies and tactics in several future story parts! I won't let you off that easily… ^-^ Besides, they're so interesting! There must be at least _some_ readers out there who will enjoy them as much as I do…

And a comment to FireDemon: I should hope I know what I'm talking about after all the research I did…

Extra Disclaimer: I do not own all the stuff I have Ken quote, sometimes word for word, out of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War".

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**_Part III - First Signs_**

-----*****-----

Yamato looked up from the map at the sound of someone entering the tent, and found it to be Ryo. "So there you are! You sure left me waiting here…"

Ryo grinned. "I was summoned to the Council, just to begin to awaken the appearance of me having a position of power. You know, to start rumors."

Yamato sighed. "That's all fine and good, but I need you here, too. In case something happens to me, you need to understand my battle strategy…"

Ryo suddenly turned serious at this. "About that…"

Yamato started. "What?" He asked hurriedly.

"I just wanted to warn you. If somebody's going to make an attempt on your life, it will probably be tonight. I'd be wary if I were you." Ryo warned.

Yamato hesitated, then nodded sharply. "We've already established that you know more about these things than I do, but why tonight? I mean, doesn't the Council figure they should keep me around until at least just after the battle?"

Ryo looked at him pointedly. "What are you doing right now?"

Yamato stopped, suddenly understanding. "You're right…"

"They'd figure you briefed me, anyway. They're no great military strategists, and don't understand that most of it is reactionary rather than planned. Of course the idea is to get the opponent to do what you want and to predict his reactions, but you can't plan everything. There's always a certain principle of chaos involved." Ryo answered, matter-of-factly.

Yamato nodded. "I have to admit that sounds very plausible. I don't know _what_ she was thinking, leaving me in charge…"

Ryo grinned. "What about a test? That brings me to the other point of why it would be tonight. If you command a brilliant battle against them, then that will drum up support on your side and people would be much less willing to accept me as a new commander. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I need explain why it would have to be at night…"

Yamato shook his head. Was there a chance? Might he yet get out of this alive and not have to disappoint anybody? Perhaps the Dark One had planned the whole thing. After all, the main body of troops could hardly know that the highest military commander of the other side was a rash fool. Albeit a very attractive rash fool… But Yamato shook his head. He had to keep himself out of this! They'd only see Yamato's accomplishment, and maybe actually come to accept him…

His eyes brightened and he turned to Ryo. "I will remember. Thank you for your concern. And now let me ask you a question. I don't want you to take it wrong, but why would you help us to attack your own countrymen?"

Ryo paused a moment, then shrugged. "I really can't get anything past you, can I. No, I have some definitely personal reasons. My main objective when I joined up was really to have some adventure, but when this opportunity to attack arose, there was another reason why I hung on. You see…I had this friend when I was living on this other side. He grew up in the shadow of an elder brother who was simply better than he was at everything. If the Prince has any sense, that same brother will be there to help him. As far as I know, he's the best military tactician Eisodos ever had. I would like to help my friend and defeat his brother, so he can feel good about himself. My friend would most likely not be affected by the whole thing, since he wouldn't be old enough yet to be called. Besides, he's in one of the families in charge of the Provinces, and if the Dark One has any sense, she'll leave them intact, since they know best how to apportion out the land. And isn't it the idea to take a country intact?"

Yamato had to agree with this. "You're well-read…"

Ryo grinned. "I pay attention."

Yamato sighed. "You also have a great deal of people sense. I envy you that. But now we should get down to business. If I don't brief you on this now, we'll never get around to mobilizing the troops in time to set up a temporary camp before evening."

Ryo mock-saluted, "Whatever you say, general! Okay, so how are we going to go about this?"

Yamato turned to the map. "Well, first we have to move out here…"

-----*****-----

Takeru awoke with a start and automatically sat up, only to fall back down again, hard. His head felt like someone was hammering on it from the inside. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He silently wished this awakening were nearly as comfortable as the one in the small hut. He'd pick a bed over a floor mat any day… Suddenly all the experiences of the past day flooded his mind and he sat up with a start. "Mimi!"

A head popped in from beyond the edge of the door to the room he was lying in. "He's woken up!" It was Mimi.

Takeru breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't want you dead on my account…"

Mimi waved it off. "Oh, just forget it. I'd have done the same for anyone. So, how you feeling this morning?"

Takeru resisted raising a hand to his head, and just smiled weakly. "Sort of okay…"

Mimi clucked her tongue. "Now, I can hardly help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Takeru blinked at her. "Uh…my head's pounding."

Mimi nodded abruptly. "Good. That means you're recovering faster than I thought."

Takeru stared at her. "Um…explain? Oh, yeah, and what's telepathy? You mentioned it yesterday and I have no idea what it means. And there were those deer that got me here. How did you get them to help you? And…"

Mimi raised a hand. "One question at a time! Okay, you probably wouldn't understand the answer to the first question… As for telepathy, it's mind calling. It's actually the official term for it, although you can call it anything you like. As for the deer, as I explained, they're my friends."

Takeru grinned. "Does that mean I can leave again soon?"

Mimi shook her head slightly and sighed. "You never give up, do you? But sorry, you're not ready to travel yet. If you move too much now, I can't guarantee your survival. And don't forget that your first responsibility is to yourself! So don't get any funny ideas here. Actually, if you push yourself too far at this early stage, you could get a stroke. Trust me, you _really_ don't want one of those."

Takeru blinked at her. "What's…"

Just then Gennai entered. "Ah, good to see you're awake! I didn't manage to find the prophesy, but I _did_ find a translation of the said document I made at an earlier date for lack of current interesting activities…"

Mimi and Takeru blinked at him. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Gennai smiled. "That I was bored."

Mimi turned away slightly and shook her fists. "You know, you _could_ just have _said_ that."

Gennai grinned. "But the other sounds so much more _interesting_…"

Takeru raised an eyebrow. _This_ was the man he'd come to find to help him save his brother? He _had_ to still be dreaming…

Gennai smiled. "The original is in a language neither of you would understand anyway, so maybe it's for the better…"

Mimi threw up her arms in frustration. "Just read the stupid thing!"

Gennai pondered something for a moment. "Hmm… I just got an idea where the original might still be. You know, the original is always more reliable than any copy. Why don't you read it, Mimi-chan, while I go look for the original…"

At this, Mimi shut up completely. The old man handed her a scroll and left the scene. Rather gingerly, Mimi unrolled the thing slightly and stared at it, turning it every which way. Presently she turned to Takeru, slightly embarrassed. "Um…can _you_ read?"

Takeru smiled slightly, not wanting to embarrass her. "I could try…"

Mimi strode over and pressed the scroll into his hands. "Then do! I don't want that frustrating old man to know that I can't…"

Takeru opened the scroll and read:

"From a world where magic is commonplace

A new race arises and comes

They have been changed by magic,

Where magic is used they come.

They cannot be stopped if they cannot be seen,

Only one who can stop them is born in between.

Fire, magic and metal must be combined,

As old feuds and battles must be set aside."

He looked up at her. "I don't think I understand it…" then he stopped. Mimi's expression looked set in stone.

Then she finally shook her head and recovered. "I…that is so weird…_I_ use magic. I'm not much of an expert, but…I hope the invisible monsters aren't my fault, nor my mother's!"

Takeru looked up at her. "Oh, yeah, I was meaning to ask you about the monsters. So they're really invisible? No wonder I didn't see the one that attacked me…"

Mimi shook her head. "Okay, the first verse is apparently talking about the invisible monsters. But I have no idea what the second verse might be referring to…"

Takeru sighed. "Neither do I, but the art of magic is as good as lost where I come from. I wouldn't know where to get an expert mage to help us if my life depended on it. You already said you're no professional."

Mimi smirked. "No, I only know what I can use as a healer. This seems to be talking about attack spells, and the only spell I know that can even be _used_ for attack is a sleep-spell."

Takeru shook his head and sighed. "Much as I hate the idea, _I_ might have to go out and find one. And if they won't come back with me, then they could at least teach me. You did say I had some latent magical talent?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah, enough that you instinctively recognize and counter it."

Takeru thought a moment. "Maybe that's why I knew where that invisible monster was, even though I couldn't see it. Do you think they use some kind of an invisibility spell?"

Mimi shook her head. "No, look at the first verse here: It says they have been _changed_ by magic. That has to mean that they were normal before and somehow the magic changed them and made them the way they are. On the other hand, it says they come from a world where magic is commonplace. Perhaps you were sensing that?"

Takeru thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's possible…"

Just then Gennai came back. "Nope, it wasn't there, either. Now, where could I have put it…"

Mimi grinned at him. "It's okay. We think we understand what they mean from the translation."

Gennai raised an eyebrow. "We? I wouldn't have bothered the young man with it until you consider him ready to be on the move. If he truly understood the meaning, you'd almost have to chain him to the bed."

Both of them stared at him, but Gennai just grinned. "It doesn't matter. Maybe it's better this way."

Mimi stood up and faced him. "Tell me exactly what you mean!"

Gennai smiled. "Later. It's early and I should be making brunch. Would you care to help me, Mimi-chan?"

Mimi formed fists with her hands. "And spend more than five seconds in the same room with you? Heaven forbid!"

Gennai grinned. "I thought you said God had it in for you. Hence, He wouldn't forbid you anything."

Mimi stood there for a moment, fists shaking, then moved for the door. "_I'll_ make brunch! _I'll_ kill some of those stupid, strange-minded fish out there and fry them! And while I'm doing it, I'll imagine they all have _your_ face!"

Gennai watched with a bemused expression as she stalked out of the room, before turning to Takeru. "I understand you came to me with the desire to help your brother."

Takeru blinked, but nodded.

Gennai sat down by the side of his bed. "The prince is going to take him captive, you know."

Takeru stiffened at the very thought. With Taichi's hate of Dark Riders, there was no telling what he'd do! He looked up at the old man. "How soon could I reach the battle-ground if I left today on horseback?"

Gennai thought a moment. "You'd probably reach their camp around evening, but only if you left just after brunch."

Takeru shivered. "But Mimi said…"

Gennai smiled. "Yeah, Mimi's a sweet kid, but she doesn't have a clue about dealing with people. However, she does know her art. That is, as far as she can possibly know it. The technology and resources that I have available to me here go beyond her comprehension. I actually have something that might help you…"

Takeru looked up. "Really?"

Gennai nodded. "But it's dangerous, and you can't tell anyone that it exists. I don't want people bothering me all the time and not even trying to figure things out on their own." The old man held out some kind of a pill and a glass of water. "You can take this. At first it will hurt even more, but then it will improve rapidly, or maybe not. I can't tell you what it is, though."

Takeru eyed it solemnly and then nodded. He put it in his mouth and swallowed it down with some water. Immediately his head almost exploded with pain. He could hardly see, hardly breathe. It felt like his head was expanding and was about to explode. There was a voice calling out. Was that his? No…it was calm and peaceful… Hikari! Suddenly his vision cleared and he found himself staring at the old man, who was just watching. He shook his head, finding it to be clear. He had a bit of a headache, but the pain had mostly subsided. He ventured in a shaky voice, "What the…"

Gennai smiled. "Good. I'm glad to see you're doing fine. Sometimes it has some negative side effects, but it appears to have been gentler on you. By the way, who is Hikari? You called out her name…"

Takeru blushed slightly. Gennai laughed, "Question answered! Well, shall we go out and see how Mimi's doing with brunch?"

Takeru nodded, rising to his feet. At first he was a little unsteady, but then his training took over and he followed Gennai out the door of the darkened room.

-----*****-----

Lord Ichijouji gazed out through his study window overlooking the green hills surrounding his home and nodded briefly to himself. To any outsider he would seem to be casually regarding the landscape in a moment's pause between sending and receiving messages and having delegated the last preparations that could be made before he was able to muster the majority of his forces. And that was partially true, since he was now only awaiting a message saying that all was ready and he might come and give his customary speech before moving out. But what they would have overlooked, because they would not have in the least expected it, was a slight clenching of his fist around the quill he was holding. He would not have wanted them to see any more. As Osamu looked out over the landscape he had seen every day for years and ceased to notice long ago, he reminded himself that he might easily be seeing it for the last time.

A corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "How homesick one becomes for the homeland when one is thinking to leave it forever…" He murmured to himself. Then, realizing he'd spoken, he turned swiftly around to see that no one had heard. Finding no one, he even dared to smirk slightly. Of course there was no one there…after all, who really cared about Osamu, and not the brilliant military strategist the whole world seemed to admire. His smirk turned to one of self-mockery. Then again, who could really care about a person nobody knew existed? All they saw was the mask he'd worn since he was seven.

He thought back. His father's health had been fading, and he only barely had the strength to sit in council. Osamu had started taking over the border skirmishes, and at first he had actually enjoyed it for the fun, the excitement, and the intellectual challenge. But when he had dared befriend some of the lower officers, he began to realize that everybody's lives were in his hands. It had really scared him, but he hadn't let anything on. After that, he had seen it as his duty to fight in his father's stead, and then he could handle it. Then his father died, and his mother shortly after. They were buried together. Osamu hadn't found it in himself to cry; he was still under shock. He had returned from a battle to find them dead, just like that. He had never forgiven himself for not having been there to say goodbye. He was named the next Lord Ichijouji at the age of thirteen.

Then one time, several years later, he'd made a terrible mistake. It was something really stupid, and one of his friends had been killed in the assault. His brother's best friend Ryo had gotten caught behind enemy lines, and was also presumed dead. Ken had blamed him for it and the next morning he had left for the capitol, without even asking permission. Osamu had gone after as soon as he could get away, to try and talk to his brother and clear things up. But when he got there, Ken hadn't even come out to greet him. He had constantly avoided him and refused to see him when Osamu asked…

There was a knock on the door, breaking the man from his silent reverie. With the practiced ease of an actor, he calmly put up a serious mask, "Come in."

An attractive, fiery-haired woman came striding in, holding the hand of a two-year-old child. "Don't even think you could leave without at least saying goodbye!" She said, then smiled and looked down at the child. "Say goodbye to Daddy, Keiji."

However, Keiji seemed to be much more interested in the open window. As soon as she let him go, he ran over and jumped, trying to get up. Despite himself, Osamu smiled and went over to pick the small child up so it could see the same landscape that he himself had been gazing at only moments before. "See, Keiji? All this land and much more will one day belong to you, and will be your responsibility. May you use it well and grow to be wiser and stronger than your father…" He turned and smiled at his wife, "And someday find a woman as beautiful as your mother to share it with you."

Jun blushed slightly, and she smiled, "Don't think you can get off the hook by flattering me…" She said humorously.

Osamu shook his head. "But it's only the truth! No, I was going to come by to say goodbye just before I left." He said, setting Keiji back down on the ground. "I know you have duties to look after as well…"

She shook her head, getting serious. "It's just as much my duty to say goodbye to you before you go."

Osamu nodded…duty. That's all it ever seemed to be with her, ever since he'd brought her back with him from the capitol. He had the woman of his dreams, and she didn't seem to love him. He should have known better than to think at least that dream would be kept from shattering like all the others…

"I suppose it is…" He managed to say with a slight smirk.

Just then a messenger popped into the open door. Seeing the Lord's family assembled, he hesitated, but Osamu turned towards him, smiling. "Yes?"

The messenger bowed slightly. "All is ready, your Lordship…"

Osamu nodded. "You may go, then. I will be along in a moment."

The messenger bowed again and left the room.

Osamu turned to Jun, but she was already nodding. "It's okay. At least you said goodbye."

He hesitated one moment more. Could he really go through with this? Did he really have the right to leave them alone? Well, Keiji was taken care of, but Jun? Maybe she would be happier without him there, anyway… He smiled. Even if only for her sake, he had to do this. He would find opportunity enough to die in the fighting. It was, after all, his only reason left to live. He couldn't live his life on a pedestal any longer, and had no right to stay beyond the duration of his usefulness. Any fool who'd studied history could tell this would be the last and final war. However it ended, that was how it would stay decided. His decision was made, and there was no way he could back out now.

Smiling, and light-headed from his decision, he went over to his wife and kissed her one last time. Her eyes widened in surprise, since he wasn't usually prone to spontaneous shows of emotion, but she didn't resist. Then Osamu turned away and strode down the hall, never once looking back, fearing that if he did his mask would splinter and fall to pieces.

-----*****-----

Mimi eyed Takeru carefully, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Takeru nodded and squirmed a little under her gaze. Mimi raised an eyebrow. There was obviously something he wasn't telling her, and he was obviously not very good at keeping secrets. Nonetheless, he did appear to be doing much better than earlier. She glanced at Gennai, but the old man was blissfully stuffing down her pancakes made with powdered dried seaweed as if there was no tomorrow. Despite what she'd said, she couldn't find it in herself to kill the fish. Just because she couldn't understand them didn't mean they weren't alive and wanted to stay that way…

She shook her head as the picture came to mind of her eating _deer_ meat and finding out it was from one of her friends…but not wanting to show any weakness before the old man, she covered. "Well, if you don't want to talk about it you can just say so."

Takeru looked about to speak, but Gennai interrupted. "You make almost as good pancakes as your mother…"

At this Mimi forgot her annoyance. "You mean she even cooked for you? So how come I never heard about you at all?!"

Gennai smiled. "Your father was a nice guy, too. He was smart, but not all that ambitious…"

Mimi growled slightly, but refused to let the old man get on her nerves. "How nice." For some reason she didn't remember him nearly as well as she did her mother, and Mimi didn't like to be reminded of that. Somehow her mother had been much more important to her younger self, and her father was kind of more like just part of the furniture. Then again, it might also have had to do with the fact that her mother always took her out with her when she went to attend to the animals. Mimi had literally been brought up into the art… She smiled at the memory. Her mother was a very wise woman…

"And that's why they started living here in the forest." Gennai smiled at Takeru.

"What an interesting story…" Takeru began, but he was interrupted by Mimi.

"What? Why did they start living here? They never told me! I…"

Gennai made a gesture for her to calm down. "Relax a little, Mimi-chan. I just finished telling the story. If you didn't listen, I can tell you some other time, but for now would you hand me another pancake?"

Mimi stood up. "I've had about enough of this, old man! Do you have any idea how aggravating you are?"

Gennai blinked up at her, smiling. "Who me?"

Mimi threw her hands up in the air. "Yes, you! You can get your own pancake! I'm leaving!"

"And just how were you intending to go?" Gennai asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"I don't care if I have to swim to the surface! I'm not spending one more second down here with you!" Mimi spat in his face.

Takeru blinked and looked back and forth as Mimi's piercing glare met Gennai's bemused smile. Finally he said, "If I might remind you, there's more important things at stake here than your personal problems in getting along with him, Mimi. There's a prophesy, and I need to get out there and save my brother and…"

Mimi ground her teeth, but sat down smiling. "I will go up to the castle and warn them, and then I will not have to deal with you for the rest of my life…" She looked pointedly at Gennai, who shrugged.

"Well, if that's what you want to do. I agree: the people left at the capitol should be warned as well. And you, Takeru, should probably get going."

Mimi blinked. Suddenly Gennai wasn't the annoying old man any more: He was getting serious. Maybe she was just being hypersensitive…then again, one could understand that in a person who's just lost the only home they'd ever known. She should probably at least _try_ to be nice to him. But not so as he could think she was changing her mind…

She turned to Takeru. "And if either of us needs to, we can contact each other by mind-calling."

Takeru nodded. "About that…you were going to help me fine-tune my capability…"

Mimi shrugged. "We don't have much time for that now, do we. I think you should get going as soon as possible."

Takeru nodded again and turned to the old man. "Will you pack me some provisions or something, Gennai?"

Gennai grinned. "Sure! In fact, I have just the thing."

"Good." Mimi nodded. "You'd better pack some of that for me, too, then. I have to bring him to the edge of the forest, so I should leave at the same time."

Gennai saluted. "Good job, Mimi! It appears you can learn to deal with people, after all."

Mimi stared at him, but didn't wait for him to explain. "And you look for that prophecy! By the way, what language was it in, anyway?"

Gennai smiled at her. "You wouldn't know the name of the language if I told you, but it's the main form of communications for the Dark Riders. That is, the invaders."

Takeru jumped at this. "You mean they have prophets?"

Gennai nodded. "In fact, they have many magicians amongst their ranks. If you think it will do any good, you can warn your friends about them. Just remember you'll probably reach them after their first battle, so they might already know."

Takeru nodded seriously. "I will remember."

-----*****-----

As Takato arrived back in town, somebody called out, "Mazuda! How did it go at the council?"

Takato got off his horse. "The financial issue has been set aside for the moment, because the Dark Riders mounted a full-scale invasion. In the meantime we're not permitted to trade with the Dark Riders across the border."

The woman placed her hands on her hips. "Who does that Lord up there think he is, anyway? He takes away both extra sources of income, while offering nothing in exchange."

Takato shrugged, "War saps on everyone."

"That may be, but it always hits those harder who have less." She said.

"At least we won't starve." Takato reasoned. "And we'll have more for the animals this winter."

She smiled. "The Council sure has gotten your head turned around, hasn't it. Then again, it's easier when you have a salary besides what you can earn through honest work."

Takato smiled. "Maybe you're right. Well, on the plus side, I should have more time to do honest work now. If the lord is engaged in warfare, he's going to leave the Council, and especially me, alone for a while."

She smiled. "Now you're beginning to think like a farmer again." With that, she went back about the family chores.

Takato smiled to himself. It was so refreshing to be back with people who didn't expect him to think about the current political situation, diplomatic relations, the merchants, the knights, the environment, or any of those big things. All that mattered here was that you took care of yourself and your neighbors, and didn't rock the boat or do anything weird. They were a good, but conservative people. You didn't have to be particularly talented, you didn't even have to be blindingly intelligent. If you were too different you had to dampen it a little, but that was all anyone asked of you. Life was simple and good, and when times got rough everyone took care of everybody. It was in everyone's best interest to pitch in, because then when they were in trouble the same families would turn around and help _them_ out of it. Everybody knew and took care of everybody. That didn't mean that rumors didn't fly like wildfire, since everybody knew everybody and people naturally love a scandal. But everybody did it, so nobody really cared much. They were like a pack of wolves…and he had to take care that his position wouldn't turn him out of the pack.

He took care of his horse and then went out into the fields to help Jen. Since somebody had to take care of the fields when he was gone, she did it. And consequently he was thankful they weren't summoned together all too often. For most of the smaller decisions he could trust his friend Henry to stand up for his needs as well. They had been friends for ages. Henry's family owned the estate their village was on, and lived nearby. Henry had needed company besides the few servants his family afforded, and so he'd often come down to the village when he had a free moment. Yes, Takato had no doubt his friend would stand up for him. And as long as the Lord was away, that would carry even more weight than usual…

He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about big important things and focus on the moment. And in that moment, he couldn't wait to see his wife again.

-----*****-----

Takeru looked up at Mimi, walking through the forest. They had said goodbye to Gennai, and thankfully Mimi had parted with him on better terms than they had been on that morning. He had never before found it so hard to keep a secret as during their brunch that morning. What made it so difficult was the fact that he knew Mimi was worried about him, and he couldn't tell her why she shouldn't worry. After all, she did save his life, twice, so he should at least owe her that. On the other hand, he'd given Gennai his word that he wouldn't tell, sort of in payment for the medicine. And he'd already received the medicine, so he was honor-bound to keep his vow. Why did life have to be so complicated? Takeru sighed.

At once Mimi turned to look over her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Takeru shook his head. "I was just amazed at how well you know your way around here." Well, it wasn't completely a lie, he _had_ been wondering at that…

Mimi smiled and turned back to look ahead. "I'll bet you know the castle like I know these woods. I'll probably get lost up there a few times, too. Nevertheless, I have a job to do and will fulfill it to the best of my ability." Then she paused a moment. "First we're going back to the ruins of my home. That is, after the invisible monsters destroyed it…"

Takeru bit his lip. He had had no idea… "Sorry about that…"

Mimi shook her head, but when she spoke there was a strange note in her voice. "Nothing you could do to change it, anyway. I was the one who made the choice here, not you, and I have to live with the consequences of my decision. That's the way life works. My parents made a decision and paid for it with their lives. If I spent all my time feeling sorry for myself, I'd get nowhere."

Takeru had to see the sense in this, but he also had the tact to not say anything. Obviously the subject was very uncomfortable for her.

"Ah, here we are…oh." Mimi stopped, immediately dropping to the ground. Takeru followed suit.

What the hell is going on here? He asked nervously.

They're here. I can feel them. She answered.

Without thinking, Takeru answered. I don't see them… 

As soon as the words left his mind, he could have slapped himself on the forehead, except that it would have been too loud.

Of course you can't see them, dummy, they're invisible. You need to work on your vocabulary here. 

Takeru could have breathed a sigh of relief. She merely thought he had meant that he couldn't sense them…which was true, as he came to realize. He couldn't. So why had he been able to sense that one before? A good question…

Gradually, Mimi began to inch away from whatever it was she sensed. Takeru moved to follow, but she checked him with a gesture. Suddenly she leaped up into a tree with a single bound, leaving him to stare after her in astonishment. She was gone a moment, then she was back. She had a funny look in her eye, but she didn't elaborate. Takeru figured she must have seen the ruins of her house.

Was it that bad? He asked, concerned.

She shivered. Worse. Can you tell me, does God have it in for me, or what? 

Takeru shrugged. Maybe He simply has larger plans for you than letting you spend all your life alone in these woods. 

Mimi paused a moment at that, then answered. You're probably right, and your answer is at least better than Gennai's, but I prefer the other explanation. 

Takeru smiled. Well, shall we get out of here now? 

Mimi nodded. But be careful to make as little noise as possible. 

Takeru nodded, and then tried to follow Mimi's every movement in order to keep his promise, as they slowly crept out of the danger zone and then headed off towards the edge of the forest. After all, he was hardly a master at woodcraft, and might for all he knew sound like an elephant in a porcelain shop to her…

Once again, Takeru was given the opportunity to watch Mimi's back as he followed her. He wondered briefly how she could have handled all the stuff with her parents dying without coming to hate the invisible monsters at all. At least, she didn't seem to hate them at all… On the other hand, a rabbit doesn't hate the wolf that chases it, even if it catches and begins to eat it. And its brethren don't hate the wolf for that, either. Hate and revenge seemed to be very human characteristics…and yet these invisible monsters seemed to possess them. Did that mean that they had once been human and this was what the magic had changed them into? Perhaps he would never know, but he couldn't help but wonder…

He looked up from his train of thought when Mimi announced, "Well, here's the edge of the woods. I trust you can find your way from here?"

Takeru nodded. "Thank you once again for everything you've done for me, and tell Hikari I love her."

Mimi looked up. "Uh…"

Takeru cocked his head. "What?"

Mimi smiled a little sheepishly. "Where would I find her, anyway?"

Takeru smiled. "Most likely she will have you summoned when you arrive with news of the invisible monsters. With her brother gone, she will most likely be running the place. After all, she _is_ the Princess."

Mimi stared at him, then smirked. "I guess I really don't want to know. But I _will_ tell her what's up with you."

Takeru nodded. "Thanks again, Mimi."

She just shrugged. "I'd have done the same for anybody. But anyway, you're welcome. Bye!"

Takeru smirked, "Bye."

With that Mimi headed up towards the castle and Takeru started around, looking for his horse.

When he found the poor animal, it looked up at him with surprise, and nearly tore the picket line out of the ground to come to him. Takeru frowned. That was hardly usual…

Just then he felt a presence in the woods. He ran for his horse and grabbed the reigns, tore out the picket line and didn't even stop to put them away, when suddenly a voice stopped him. It was Gennai.

"Well, you sure look to be in a hurry. I won't hold you long, but I found the original prophecy. There are a couple of things I have to tell you. First, it specifically states that this 'new race' is 'newly-made', by choice of words. I overlooked that in the translation. Also, there are several ways of translating the next to last line in the second verse. More and more I am thinking it should read, 'Courage, magic and technology must be combined'. Oh, and the one who can stop them isn't merely 'born in between', but is apparently born between the worlds. I'm not quite sure what that means yet, but I thought I should mention it to somebody."

Takeru halted a moment. His horse was going crazy and he couldn't figure out why, but he was able to hold it. "Thank you, old man. I shall remember and pass it on."

At that, he loosened his grip and let the horse run as fast and far as it wished. After all, there might also have been an invisible monster in hiding, and he _really_ didn't want to run into another of those for a long time.

-----*****-----

Ken was miserable. For the first time since Ryo had disappeared in that border skirmish, he actually felt lonely. Ryo had been his only friend, and then Osamu had… Well, it was useless thinking about it. The dead couldn't be brought back to life, and at least he'd found some new friends at the capitol.

"If only I'd been wise enough to keep my nose out of things that aren't any of my business…" Ken muttered to himself.

"Oh, does our junior member have something to say?" Rika remarked dryly.

Ken glared at her and looked away, refusing to answer.

Rika shrugged. "Well, in that case, I suppose it wasn't worth bothering us about, was it. Not that anything _you_ say might be worth it…"

Ken could tell she was trying to provoke him, but he simply ignored her. On the one hand he could understand her: She was probably the best at the capitol at the deployment of small bodies of troops. Give her a mission, and she'd get it done. That didn't mean she could take over a whole army, but it certainly was enough to make her resent his presence. Whenever an opportunity arose, she tried to get him angry and thereby prove to herself that he couldn't possibly be so good as he thought he was, and certainly no threat to her position.

He smirked and closed his eyes, putting his mind to a neutral topic to avoid thinking about her, but silently so as to avoid any more pointed remarks. What would he be doing if he were back at the castle? Hmm…at this time of day most of his friends would be busy, so he'd probably be studying. He smiled slightly to himself. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to spend time with them, either. And he was even beginning to miss Miyako's senseless chatter and explosive inventions… He shook his head. That _had_ to mean he was getting _really_ desperate. Strange, though, how he didn't miss Princess Hikari at all. Maybe it _was_ just a stage, after all…

"Don't fall asleep there, _Ichijouji_. I'll bet your brother wouldn't…"

Ken opened his eyes and sighed to cover the rising emotion. That _had_ provoked him, at least into speaking. "It was a great military tactician who referred to the qualities of a general as being wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. He also names anger as being a weakness, which makes a general prone to defeat. I assume you know who that was?"

She tossed her head. "Unlike you, I learned my knowledge out on the field, and not in some cramped study. Have you ever seen real battle, or is it just your books that rise to your head, you desk-leader?"

Ken shook his head. "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."

"Oh, and is that also from your precious author?" She challenged.

Ken smiled. "I paid quite a deal for that book, since it will most likely be a major source, a kind of an encyclopaedia of military tactics to the Dark Riders, since it originally comes from one of the countries under their control."

Rika shrugged. "Then you can sit in front of your desk and try to figure out their strategy while I defeat it."

Ken chuckled lightly. "Let me ask you one question: If you gained all your knowledge from open combat, then how many men did you have to sacrifice for every lesson? Just think: my way costs much less in the way of lives."

Rika sniffed derisively, turning her head. However, she didn't answer.

Ken smiled at his victory and placed his eyes back on the road ahead. He might have the privilege to be riding a horse, but that didn't make him feel much better. He wondered if he might be able to find Daisuke later, when he was relieved of his duties for the night, and at least have some friendly company. It wasn't like Prince Taichi was much fun to be around, either. Since they'd left, he'd slowly but surely sunk into a state where he spontaneously alternated between silent brooding and nervous rash action. Ken had tried to draw him out, but nothing seemed to help the guy. Ken felt sorry for him, but at the same time pitied the country for having drawn the lot of such an inept general as its heir. He had most of the classic signs of bad generalship: He was obstinate, had a rash temper, was hardly the brightest, and easily stressed. And on top of all that, he didn't even have the best imagination. At least he wasn't overly arrogant as well, or he'd be a total catastrophe. But he didn't amount to much as a ruler in wartime, either. First, he had ordered an advance although it was not advantageous to do so. Second, although ignorant in military affairs, he insisted on taking part in them. Third, although he knew he wasn't the best man for the post, he still insisted on sharing in the exercise of responsibilities. He was seriously endangering his country without even fully realizing he was doing so, and not bothering to pay attention to Ken's plentiful, well-meant and tactful hints. That guy wouldn't have noticed if Ken had screamed them in his ear in public, he was so thickheaded! And to think he intended to become king…

Ken shook his head. In other ways, the Prince was simply too _nice_. Not that he thought Taichi should become just like Osamu…but he _was_ too nice. Although all warfare is based on deception, Ken was pretty certain that Taichi would rather die than deceive even an enemy. And then this whole thing about moving out without leaving even a reasonable guard-force back at the citadel. That was practically _inviting_ it to be attacked in their absence. In fact, it probably would be. For hadn't Sun Tzu said, 'When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are near.' And also, 'Attack where he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you…'

Ken paused. He felt as if an icy hand had gripped his heart, though he showed absolutely no sign of weakness on his face. He felt like swearing. He should have stayed back at the castle, damn it! Then again, they would certainly lose the upcoming battle in that case, if any troops were indeed still there. The assassination had been a deliberate stroke to draw Prince Taichi out of his hole, so the castle could be taken. Not that he could have changed it anyway in his current situation…but at least they'd have a good tactician on their side! Then they might be able to win…

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and deliberately moved his mind to think on other matters. Perhaps he was overestimating his opponent's capability…but no. Sadly, there was very little likelihood in that approach. After all, it had worked perfectly. The Dark One…the Dark One would probably have moved out him or herself, even if just to make sure all went well with the battle at the citadel! That meant they still had a chance, if they could… Ken thought a moment. If he were the Dark One, and was judging merely on the basis of "The Art of War", how would he handle it? He thought a moment, then he had it. Obviously, the Dark One would leave the greater part of their force by the Temple, even if only just to delay the forces of Eisodos until they could be sure to have captured the citadel. And even that was probably merely a precaution against Taichi bringing in with him a better general than himself. The Prince would be easy enough to defeat on his own…

Ken smiled slightly. He wouldn't let them stress him by causing him to worry. There was nothing he could do at the moment about what was going on back at the castle, anyway, so he might as well carefully store the information away in a corner of his mind to come back to it later…

-----*****-----

Miyako wiped the sweat off her forehead and grinned triumphantly. Now she finally had her own personal Scrying box that she could do whatever she wanted with… That is, provided it didn't blow up. She switched it on and then waited a bit, in case it started smelling funny. Finding it did not, she heaved a sigh of relief. She turned it off and quietly left the workshop. Koushiro was somewhere…and she didn't really care where that was. All she knew was that he'd be working on the Projection box later, and that she had to be there for that. Like most of her inventions, it had almost blown up by the time they were done with it. It was a wonder it had held out as long as it did… On the other hand, they had kept on turning it on and off, so the period of time that it was turned on was actually about what it usually took for one of her inventions to explode. Nevertheless, she was glad it had worked the way it had. After all, she had promised Ken…

She looked down at the invention stowed under her arm and smiled. Then she looked around to see if anyone was coming, but the hallway seemed to be empty. This struck her as very strange…but she didn't dwell on it long. She took off as fast as she could and headed for the one place no one would think to look for her: Ken's room.

She smiled. After having 'broken in' the first time, she'd gone in there several times and just sat there. Sometimes she stared up at his books and wondered how he was doing, or she tried to decipher the tangled-wire script of that smaller book.

She looked around and then made a dash in the right direction. For some reason, there was no one wandering around, so she was able to make pretty good progress. Soon she was standing right in front of his door, and opened it. She knew she was being pathetic, but she didn't care. For a moment she could almost hear his voice complaining that he was studying and wanted to remain undisturbed. She paused a moment, then opened the door further and popped inside, quickly shutting it after. Whatever everyone was doing that kept them out of her way in getting there, she didn't care. That is, at least momentarily… The more she thought about it, the more curious she got. Still, there was one thing more important to her by far.

She switched on the Scrying box and started fiddling with the dial. Not getting the desired result, she paused a moment before going over to the book that still lay open on the table. She marked the open page with an empty scrap of paper and leafed through it in search of a map. When she finally found one, she studied it a moment. After a moment, she slapped herself on the forehead and started giggling, more at herself than at anything in particular. There was no way they would be able to reach the Temple before the next morning! Now, that didn't mean the battle would have to take place there, but at least it postponed the danger… Somehow the giggling seemed to help. She could feel at least some of the stress leaving her. It had really taken hold after she had finished the Projection box and wasn't so busy. Her mind had become idle and starting bringing up upwards of a million ways he could die. She _had_ to get herself busy…or at least find out what was really going on.

She smiled, feeling rather relieved. Studying the map, she contemplated the most likely route they might take to get south as fast as possible. Well, there was always the main road…and they did have a rather large body of troops they would have to be moving, so it seemed the obvious choice…

Taking out a piece of paper and a bit of charcoal, she scribbled a few figures, judging things like the most likely velocity with an army comprised for the most part out of infantry soldiers and the hours traverseable since they'd left. From that, she was able to outline a rough area where they could be by now. That would definitely help her in her search. She scribbled the rough coordinates of that vicinity onto the piece of scrap paper and moved over to the Scrying box. Within moments, she was able to bring up an image of Ken, apparently riding on a horse. He looked _very_ bored. Then suddenly what might have been a flash of worry crossed his face, only to be gone again as quickly as it had come. He didn't show worry the same way other people did. You had to watch for some pretty subtle movements like a widening of the eyes, stiffening of the jaw line… Things she had learned to observe from knowing him so long, but things that most people wouldn't know to look for. She smiled to herself. He thought himself to be so good at hiding his emotions, but he couldn't fool her…

Just then she suddenly became aware of noises in the castle again. A couple of servants passed the door. One of them said, "I didn't realize she had it in her. The princess Hikari can be quite strong when she sets her mind to it."

"Yes." The other one answered. "That was some inspiring speech she gave."

Miyako stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart ran cold. So that's where everyone had been… She could have kicked herself. In her single-minded pursuit of finding out what was up with Ken, she had totally forgotten about that!

She shook her head. She had to get her mind on other things. There were other people besides Ken who were important to her, though in different ways. He'd know to take care of himself. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't probably seen battle before, where he came from. The most-disputed border was right close to where he grew up. There was a question of a couple of mines and natural resources in the border region, making both sides want to have it. Technically it did belong to Eisodos, but little border skirmishes were unavoidable, even she knew that. Surely he'd manage to take care of himself this time, too? But somehow she didn't feel convinced.

At the same time, though, she had duties to fulfill. But she didn't want to have to transport the Scrying box more than just this once… She thought a moment. Where wouldn't the servants notice a difference? Well, they probably wouldn't open all the drawers…unlike her. She smirked and opened the drawer with the family portrait. She flipped it up on end and shoved it to the side of the drawer. In the space left over, she could just fit the Scrying box and her notes. On second thought, she took those back out and scribbled the page number of the map at the bottom. She might yet need that. Then she turned the book back to the marker she'd left in it. Something on the page caught her eye as she did so. Stopping for a moment, she read, "The castle wasn't expecting them and would have been prone to attack, but that a Province troop that was delayed in coming to reinforce the main body of troops happened across it by accident."

She frowned. It went on to describe in detail the various tactics, use of the land and subsequent things that had been used in the battle, but that wasn't what interested her. She couldn't help but wonder if they even at that moment shared the same danger…

She shook her head. That wasn't any of her concern. There wasn't anything she could do about it anyway, if that was the case. There was no way any of the Province troops would be delayed this time, though. She had made sure of that…

She shook her head again. She had to get it straightened out. She was an inventor, and couldn't hope to understand everything in that big tome, anyway. That is, other than the fact it was gathering a lot of dust…but anyway. She had to mind her own business and get back to the workshop as soon as possible. Koushiro would be needing her to help him with any alterations of the Projection box. And she could hardly shirk her duties, just because she was worried about a guy who wasn't in any momentary danger, anyway. She listened briefly at the door, in case of footsteps, but the hall was silent. Carefully she emerged and closed the door behind her before heading off at a run towards the workshop.

-----*****-----

When Takato got to his fields, it took a while for him to get Jen's attention: She was leading the horses pulling the cultivator and didn't see him at first. He went out carefully to join her. She was concentrating on turning onto the next row and starting down it, so she didn't see him for a while. In fact, almost until he was on top of her. When she did see him, she was surprised, but happy.

"Takato!" She would have run over to hug him, but just then one of the horses almost strayed off the row and she had to straighten him out. By the time she was done with that, Takato had already caught up with her and gave her a big hug and kiss.

"I really missed you, you know."

She smiled. "I missed you, too. I'd ask what took the Council a week to send you back to me, but that can wait. I've been having problems with Blackeye here all day. He just doesn't want to stay in line! Can you talk to him? You really do have a way with animals."

Takato smiled. "Well, I could try…"

He went over to soothe him, but just then a boy came up out of the woods, panting. At once, Takato passed the reigns to Jen and ran the short distance to where the boy was leaning over, propping himself up on his knees, and trying to catch his breath.

"What's wrong, Miki?" He asked, seriously.

Miki took a few moments to catch his breath again before answering, "Armed men…black armor…riding on…horses…all of them…"

Takeru paused for a moment, stunned. That sounded awfully like the Dark Riders… But weren't they attacking at the Temple? He turned back to Jen. "This is serious. I'll have to run and spread the news. I didn't think the invaders would have come this far inland already." He turned back to Miki. "You run back to the village and spread the news. I'll be coming back with the men as soon as I can."

Miki nodded, pausing another moment before heading off at a dead run again toward the village, while Takato headed off in the direction of the nearest neighboring fields.

-----*****-----

The Dark One turned as a staff officer rode up beside her. "There's been a village scouted very close east-north-east, Dark One. What is your command?"

"Avoid. Also, we should veer off to the west, if possible, to avoid detection."

He nodded and moved back down the line to inform the regiment commanders.

The Dark One frowned. That was the last thing she needed. They'd managed to make pretty good time, and she had no interest in having to stop to kill peasants. She could hardly risk involving the farmers in this conflict, as they would otherwise leave her alone, and one of her trumps was the fact that there were little if any military troops left back at the capitol. And she'd been so careful, too. She'd scouted out the area that morning with her crystal ball, detected the village and tried to steer to the west, but it's always hard to keep one's direction in the forest. Apparently they had drifted enough off course that they were in danger of being discovered. She would have to change that as soon as possible, but it should be pretty easy. Surely news of the invasion would not have traveled this far inland, yet. Thus, if somebody chanced to see them, it was more likely that they would think themselves to be imagining things, so the problem shouldn't be too difficult to solve. If only the problem with Yamato were just as easy… But, friend or not, she had to set him off on his own, in the best interest of her people. By the end of the first battle, he would either have established a place for himself, or be dead. She'd have to teleport back then and see how he was doing. Worst case, she'd simply have to name another temporary second-in-command. The lives of many people depended on him as well, and she couldn't protect him forever. And it wasn't like she didn't think he was up to the challenge. No, what she had more reason to worry about was that prince. If Yamato had to face him on the field of battle, there was no guarantee he would be able to give it his all. He might die because he couldn't fight. That was one of the problems with him. He gave his emotions too much free reign. Still, what kind of a friend would she be if she didn't have any faith in him? It wasn't like she had much practice, but now the matter was out of her hands and she would have to leave it up to him. She smiled.

-----*****-----

When Miyako reached the workshop, she found it empty. This confused her slightly, but probably Koushiro just hadn't gotten back yet…she hoped. Otherwise, he would probably be talking to Princess Hikari…or? Well, she couldn't think of anywhere else he might be, so she headed off in that general direction. She'd have to find out what that speech was all about. It had to have been important if Koushiro still wasn't back yet…and she'd be going along the same passage that he'd be coming, so she'd run into him, worst case.

First she headed for the courtyard, to see if anyone could tell her where to find Hikari. _Somebody_ would have to know. But when she got there, it was all but empty. She scratched her head and looked around in confusion. She hadn't seen anyone all day…there had to be something going on here! Either that, or Hikari had taken it upon herself to take charge or something, which didn't seem likely on first thought. After all, she was too _nice_ and _ladylike_. On second thought, she knew her duty. Miyako smiled to herself. Yeah, that would be it. That might also lead her to look to Koushiro for advice, thus explaining his absence from the workshop. That didn't mean she would stop looking for him, though. He had to be there somewhere! Then again, it was a pretty big castle. If somebody didn't want to be found, they could probably hide out for days…but he wasn't the type to hide from anyone, so it should take _that_ long… In fact, he'd probably be back at the workshop and looking for her by the time she'd find him. And she didn't want to have to explain _that_…

She turned around to look for a clue, as if she'd find one out there, and she happened to notice a figure walking up to the path leading up to the castle. They were as yet too far away to clearly discern, but Miyako's curiosity took over. She forgot all about looking for Koushiro and just focused on that figure slowly walking up the path. After a moment, she realized that whoever it was wasn't likely to get there any faster for her watching. They were obviously not in any rush themselves, though still making good time on the road. So they were used to walking a lot… Well, that didn't fit to anybody she knew. The main part of the army was used to walking a lot, but this person walked differently than they did. Hence, he or she was probably not a soldier of any kind. Maybe a farmer? But they didn't do _that_ much walking… A merchant? No, they would definitely come on horseback. Then came this person's tendency to walk in zigzags. It looked more like they were simply not aware of it than if they were lurching from side to side or something…

Miyako made up her mind: This person was interesting enough to wait on in order to still her curiosity. Koushiro would just have to wait. However, that left the question open of what she would do in the meantime…

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned reflexively to find Iori. What was he doing there? Usually he was either studying writing or fighting…but with most of his possible training partners gone, the latter wasn't too likely. The first was possible, but Iori had often complained about the master scribe usually sleeping late in the morning. But surely he would have documented Hikari's first speech? Well, maybe…

"What are you doing here?" Miyako asked as a last resort.

Iori smiled. "I could ask the same of you. Weren't you going to work on that invention of yours with Koushiro?"

Miyako smirked. "I would, but he wasn't there. I forgot all about the speech this morning, and now I don't have a clue what's going on any more. Could you help me?"

Iori smirked. "Actually, I can. I documented every word she said. The master scribe wouldn't get up again this morning. He always stays up late writing stuff, and then I have to do all the early morning work. And his stories are bad fiction, anyway. All that cheesy stuff about chivalric knights…"

Miyako was surprised. "I didn't know he was a writer…"

Iori made a face. "Well, he isn't."

Miyako grinned. "That's not exactly a very nice thing to say."

Iori just looked at her. "Well, what if it's true?"

Miyako nodded. "I've never read any of it, but I'll take your word for it. By the way, do you have any idea who that might be?" She asked, pointing to the figure coming up the path. She'd always been rather near-sighted, and the glasses Koushiro had invented to help her still weren't all-powerful. Iori had always had better eyes than her, so she thought he might be able to see the figure better.

In response to her question, Iori looked out the castle gate. He shaded his eyes to shield them from the late spring sun, so he could see more clearly. Then he smiled. "I'd judge her to originate from the forest. See the way she's walking? And those clothes definitely look homemade. I wonder if she wove them herself? But what really interests me is what she's doing coming up towards the castle at a time like this. She can't have heard of the invasion, unless of course she wants to join us…"

"She? How can you tell?" Miyako asked, her features animated.

Iori smiled. "I can't see much beyond a long, brown braid and the fact that she's wearing a dress of undyed cloth. The rest is a matter of deduction. Perceive, for example, the way she walks…"

Miyako waved it off. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine. I'm curious!!!!!" Then she stopped abruptly. "Say, do you have any idea where Koushiro might be?"

Iori smiled. "There I _can_ help you, actually. He's acting as private counselor to Hikari. To be quite honest, I didn't expect her to take control of the matters of state so quickly. That girl is full of surprises. But if you're looking for him, I think they're talking in the empty Council chamber. With the situation as is, she could definitely use his help. I don't think she'd summon the Council, though. That is, at least until after she's talked extensively with Koushiro."

Miyako nodded, paused for a moment, then grinned. "Okay! I'll…"

Just then a face poked out of one of the upstairs windows. "So there you are! I've been looking all morning for you…"

Iori muttered, "Yeah right." Still, he turned to Miyako and shrugged. "Guess I'll catch you later then." With that, he headed towards the nearest castle entrance.

Miyako watched him leave, shaking her head. No wonder he disliked the master scribe, if the man treated him like _that_. At first she hadn't understood it, as it didn't fit at all with her friend's character. But an irresponsible, unoriginal man who blamed Iori for his own problems, and who might easily be secretly jealous of him, was just the type of person who could potentially bring out the worst in Iori. There was no question about that.

She turned once more to the figure on the path, momentarily debating whether to wait for them to come up or go looking for Koushiro. On the one hand, she knew she _should_ be looking for Koushiro and might expect immediate results from it. On the other hand, she was really curious about the newcomer, but it would take a while for them to get to where she was and patience was not exactly her best trait. Torn between the two, she decided on a third possibility: She would go out and greet the newcomer. No sooner thought than done, she was heading out the gate. The single guard on duty watched her idly as she scampered through and down the path towards the approaching figure.

-----*****-----

By the time Takato got back to town, he was already followed by a large group of serious men. He didn't feel very good about the whole thing, but it wasn't exactly his choice. He had told them about the invasion of Eisodos and the soldiers riding not far off, and they expressed the same fears as he did: The Dark Riders were going to take their homes and land, and then move on to take the capitol. Most of those present couldn't care less who exactly was in charge of the country, as long as they were permitted to continue on living the life they had always lived and remained relatively untouched by the outside world. But this was too close for comfort.

Takato came and climbed up on a woodpile so the assembled people could hear him better. Speaking always made him nervous, and no matter how this ended they would probably never see him quite as one of them again, but there were more important things at stake at the moment.

"We are gathered here in self-defense. Even now an army of horsemen, an invading force calling themselves the Dark Riders, is moving towards our village. At the Council I found out that they have already taken the Temple, the center of our religion. They have assassinated our king and are, even now, using the cover of the forest to disguise their very presence as they move North towards the capitol. I do not believe I am alone in the fear that they will make an example of us to those who oppose them. Let us move to the attack! If we must die, then better we die protecting our families and land!"

"But Mazuda, why us?" Someone asked.

"Simple: We are near to the border and have been trading with them for some time. Their reason for invasion is a lack of food for all their people! We have shown that we have food to spare, and as such they will be sure to stop here and take as much food and supplies from us as they can get!"

At this there were whispers, and cries of dissension ceased. There was a growing unease in the people, almost like a living, breathing organism. The air crackled with the fear of an entire village. The feeling scared Takato almost even more than the Dark Riders, but there was no way out now. Like it or not, he was suddenly the leader over all his friends and neighbors since childhood, and he was afraid. Afraid some of them might die, afraid he might lead them to their deaths, and afraid he might cause their deaths through his unskilled hand. But they could hardly expect him to be an experienced military leader. He was a farmer, by God! And he was hardly surrounded by a group of soldiers, either. These were his people, and he didn't want to let them down. If only Henry were there…he would know what to do…but he was too busy taking care of leading an entire Province, and that would have to suffice, at least for the moment.

Suddenly a chant started from the edges of the crowd and slowly grew, becoming bigger and bigger. "Ma-zu-da! Ma-zu-da! Ma-zu-da!"

Takato felt his head would burst, but at least their fear had lessened. Somehow, he had inspired them. They would take defeat if need be, but they would stand behind him to the last, and he knew it. Goodbye good old life where everybody treated him as an equal… Either he'd get out of this as some kind of a village leader, or not at all.

-----*****-----

The Dark One was surprised and a little shocked when her advance scouts returned in a hurry to report sightings of armed farmers, moving as if to concentrate at some point further ahead. These reports were disturbing, partially because she couldn't understand them. Why, if her troops were veering off, would a bunch of husbands, brothers, fathers, and sons go out to risk their lives fighting her? Couldn't they figure out she was leaving? She couldn't very easily attack them, if she wanted to maintain their current rate of travel, but it was looking more and more like she wouldn't have any choice…or did she?

She smiled, taking the crystal ball out of its customary pouch at her belt. She concentrated on it until she had summoned up an image of the village, a few hours before. She hurried through it, looking for some clue as to how she could stop this thing before it escalated too far. There was a guy giving a speech on a woodpile, then there were people rushing around, apparently organizing for an attack. Then… Wait: who was the woman he was talking to? She couldn't hear their voices, but she smiled.

Turning to the staff officer on her right, she handed him the reigns of her horse. "I'll be back in a moment."

With that, she teleported herself to the village and looked around. Women turned around and saw her. Some retreated into their houses and locked up. Others who still had children outside gathered them in first and then closed up. The Dark One smiled and reached out with her senses in every direction. Sensing something, she jerked her head to the left and turned sharply. Not desiring to cause any more damage than necessary, she once again teleported herself inside that house. The woman facing who turned sharply to face her was indeed the same one she had seen in her crystal ball. She retreated a few steps, eyeing the Dark One carefully, like an animal when the fight-or-flight instinct is beginning to set in. Frowning, the Dark One casually raised a hand and her opposite relaxed abruptly. The Dark One smiled slightly. At least she wasn't magic-resistant…

"What is your name?" She asked in a calm, steady tone.

"Jen Mazuda…" The woman answered in a monotonous tone.

The Dark One nodded. "Good. What is your man doing now?"

"He's leading the attack…" Jen said slowly.

The Dark One smiled, walked over to one wall, and removed a coil of rope hung on it, with which she proceeded to bind Jen up. Unaware of her surroundings, the latter merely stood there staring into mid-air and let herself be bound hand and foot and gagged. Then the Dark One snapped her fingers and Jen suddenly came back to full awareness, only to find she could barely move. She struggled a bit but, finding that useless, she settled down relatively quickly. With the fear of uncertainty in her eyes, she watched her captor, who was calmly removing her crystal ball from its protective pouch. She brought up the image of her horse at the head of the column, clamped her fist around one wrist of the bound woman and transported herself back.

Having arrived, she slung her captive over the horse before where she was sitting and took the reigns from the staff officer. The latter blinked a couple times, but apparently knew better than to ask questions when not invited. The Dark One smiled slightly. Yes, she had picked her staff well. What she did was none of his business, and the only one with the right to ask was Yamato, because he was her friend. But he wasn't there, so she didn't have to answer to anybody and could have punished the man on the spot for asking the question that was written all over his face.

Riding along the track for a while longer, they came to a phalanx of farmers with pikes blocking their path. The Dark One descended from her horse and roughly drew the woman down after her, making her stand where all could see. A murmur went up through the rows, and mixed feelings were in the air. She guessed some still wanted to attack, some considered her a coward for involving a woman in the conflict. She smirked. They had no clue she was intending to save _their_ lives, as well as _her_ time with this tactic. Then again, the woman might come in handy. An invader should take any opportunity to learn more about the culture he or she intends to conquer in order that it might be easier for them to do so.

Then she removed her own helmet and spoke in a strong voice. "Let me speak with your leader."

There was a bit of a commotion and a reddish-brown haired man stepped to the fore, glaring at her. "I am Takato Mazuda, and that is my wife you have there."

The Dark One smiled. "I am well aware of that fact. If you will send extra stores with us, we will be going on and not harm her. If you keep quiet, she will be returned to you at the end of the war, regardless of which side wins."

Mazuda snorted. "How can I trust _your_ word?!"

The Dark One just smirked. "Allow me to ask you a question. If my well-armed troops were to fight against your small division of foot-soldiers, who would win?" Mazuda frowned. The Dark One didn't miss a beat. "As you see, I am very likely saving your lives in this venture, as I have no interest in unnecessary bloodshed. You have my word of honor. And if you don't trust the honor of a woman, you should at least trust the word of a mage."

The two stood staring at each other for what felt like hours until Mazuda finally gave in and sank his head. "I will trust in your word, as it seems I have no choice. I too have no interest in unnecessary bloodshed." Then he looked up, his voice growing in intensity. "But if I find you have lied to me, I will swear an oath of vengeance before God, that I may not die until I have taken your life as well."

The Dark One nodded in understanding. "Agreed. Shall we be going then?"

-----*****-----

Mimi was walking up to the castle, trying to hide her nervousness by stepping purposefully. For some reason, she found it difficult to walk in a straight line, although she'd never noticed it to be a problem until then. She wondered vaguely how she'd gotten the habit, unless of course it was one of the immediate effects of growing up in a forest. Maybe that was it… She sighed again and looked up at the castle, wondering exactly what she'd tell them. She herself didn't know the answers to half the questions they would want to ask her…

It was then that she noticed there was a figure bounding towards her on the road down from the castle. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was reaching out with her mind to judge its danger. Suddenly, she smashed against a mental block that felt like a brick wall, ten feet deep. She stopped walking for a moment, rather stunned. Soon after, a blur rushed past her, only to stop and come back, turning out to be a purple-haired girl with big glasses and an even bigger grin.

"Hi! I'm Miyako. I live up at the castle. I saw you coming up the road, and I was kinda bored, so I decided to come out to meet you and see what you're like and why you're coming up to the castle at a time like this when things are the way they are and everything. By the way, if I'm not too rude in asking, what's your name?"

Mimi stared a moment, still slightly stunned. "Um…Mimi. Mimi Tachikawa."

"Cool! Say, did you used to live in the woods? I have this friend called Iori, who said you walk like it. He's usually right, and some people find it rather annoying, but I don't know. He's really nice, even though he's a little too serious. Then again, he always has been, so I guess that isn't all that unusual, right? I mean he's been serious ever since I can remember, and we kinda grew up together and have been friends since, like, ages…"

Mimi stared at the younger girl and wondered if she was naturally that way or if the stress from the whole thing had made her talk like a waterfall so she wouldn't have to stop and listen to her own thoughts. However, she didn't know if it would be right to ask. Nevertheless… "Have you always been such a chatterbox?"

Miyako blinked, thought a moment, then shook her head and suddenly walked in silence.

"I don't mean you should stop if you really want to talk, I was just curious." Mimi said, recovering.

Miyako sighed. "I suppose I should come to the real questions, eh? So…why are you coming up to the castle when we barely have enough of a guard-force left to protect ourselves? I mean, after the Prince moved out with just about every able man in the citadel…"

Mimi bit her lip. Should she tell her? Well, this girl had been just about to tell her all about her own life-story without even asking any questions, so obviously she was used to trusting people, in which case she was almost certainly trustworthy herself.

Mimi sighed. "I've come to warn people about another threat, actually. Some time ago, these invisible monsters started showing up in Blackwood Forest, where I grew up and have lived ever since I can remember. There's considerable evidence that they'll be moving out into the greater part of the country soon, and I thought I'd better mention it to somebody before they claim more victims than just my parents."

Miyako smiled sympathetically. "How did they die, or don't you want to talk about it? Iori never talks about his dead father, even though it's obvious he was very important to him. Actually, Ken's parents are also dead, but he isn't here. He decided the Prince was a fool and would destroy the country if left to his own devices, so he went along as a tactical advisor."

Mimi noticed a strange note in Miyako's voice when she talked about Ken, but she couldn't quite place it somehow. Damn her lack of experience in dealing with people… Anyway, she _had_ to say something, so she picked up the theme of this _Ken_ guy. "So, how old is he, if he's going along as a tactical advisor?"

Miyako grinned. "He's my age, actually. That's why he had to _decide_ to go along."

Mimi was slightly shocked at that. The girl couldn't be more than in her upper teens, and she was the same age as this guy who'd gone gallivanting off to fight the invaders. There was something wrong with that picture… After all, Mimi's mother hadn't even _begun_ teaching her to operate on an animal until at _least_ that age. And here people that age were already permitted to go out and get killed? Mimi was sickened by the very idea.

"So, why would he want to go out and help kill people?" She asked.

Miyako frowned. "He didn't want to go along. He figured he could at least prevent some of the deaths by going along, cause the war was already started. And don't you dare talk like any friend of mine might enjoy killing!"

Mimi was taken slightly aback. This was something she really didn't understand, and maybe she should stay out of, but why would people kill people if they didn't want to? Somehow it just didn't make sense…but since it was a delicate theme, she let it be and moved the conversation on to more general themes.

-----*****-----

Daisuke yawned and leaned over the front of his horse. It'd been another long day of riding. For once he had more than one reason to thank God he was in Prince Taichi's bodyguard. That is, besides the fact that he was defending his role model...that is, Taichi _was_ his role model, but Daisuke wondered at the change that seemed to have taken place in the young prince. He found himself looking up to him less and less... But at least he got to ride on a horse. He felt sorry for the poor infantry soldiers who had to march the whole way. Despite his training, his muscles still ached from the riding of the previous day, but those pains were surely nothing against the poor infantry. Still, he wasn't going to permit that to dampen his mood! He looked around for one of his fellow recruits to talk to, who at least didn't look too exhausted. Suddenly he noticed that the boy on his left was actually the guy who'd struck up a conversation with him back at the barracks! What was his name, Kazu or something? Daisuke decided to try it at least. "Pretty boring ride, despite the cramps, ne Kazu? When will we finally see some action?!"

The boy on his left shrugged slightly, but grinned. "Dunno. If I'd known I would spend more time riding than fighting, I might have become a stable-hand, like my Dad wanted me to. Then again…nah. It'd be too boring." He grinned.

Daisuke sighed. "I love fighting! But all this riding really gets to you. But hey, at least we're not in the infantry."

Kazu smirked. "Yeah, poor Kenta. And to think his father used to be a knight, too."

Daisuke grinned. "You know someone in the main part of the army?"

Kazu nodded. "Been my best friend ever since I can remember. His father lost his land in a border skirmish and they had to move to where his wife's relatives came from. He didn't want to train to be a fighter, but his Dad wouldn't have it any other way. You gotta feel sorry for him with a father like that."

Daisuke shrugged impassively. "Well, at least he cared…"

Kazu glanced at him, but didn't press the issue any further. "So, what's your name, anyway, and how'd you get such high friends in the first place?"

Daisuke grinned. "I'm Daisuke, and my parents are both servants. When I was little, Mom took me along to keep me out of mischief. That's when I met them. Some others I met through sword-practice, and one I even met by knowing the Princess Hikari. There's quite a group of us: Princess Hikari, Miyako the apprentice inventor, and Iori, who I already told you about, Ken Ichijouji…"

Kazu looked up at this. "Ichijouji? You mean the brother of Osamu Ichijouji?"

Daisuke's face hardened. "You mean that creep who got my parents to let him marry my sister without her consent?"

Kazu blinked at him. "I hadn't heard that… No, I mean Osamu Ichijouji, the famous military strategist. He's amazing! Don't tell me you've never heard of him! I'm sure Lord Ken talks about him a lot…"

Daisuke shook his head, though his expression grew more thoughtful. "No, come to think of it, he's never once so much as mentioned his brother in my presence, unless I brought up the subject. What I do know is that he heartily sympathizes with my position on the guy."

Kazu shrugged. "So, maybe he isn't exactly nice. But let me tell you: No one is known to be able to hold a candle to him on the field. And that's got to say something."

Daisuke smirked. "Maybe we should just change the subject."

Kazu shrugged again. "Fine with me. Say, were you as bored and sore last night as I was? I hear there's more going on down in the army camp… Wanna come down with me and look for Kenta? I heard that we'd probably see fighting tomorrow or the day after, depending on how much progress we make today. And hey, we might get killed in the battle. So whatta you say we try and have a good time while we can?"

Daisuke grinned. "I'm in on it! So, tonight after mess?"

Kazu grinned back. "Decided! And see if you can bring along a friend or two as well. The more the merrier!"

Daisuke grinned in anticipation of a good time. He couldn't wait until they were ready to stop!

-----*****-----

When they actually got to the gate, the guard looked down on the two of them and smiled. "Hey, Inoue! I'm not going to bother with the normal questions, cause you probably already know all the answers already. Is she okay?"

Miyako gave him a thumbs-up sign and grinned. "She's cool! Mimi Tachikawa from the Blackwood Forest, she's here to warn us all about some invisible monsters."

He raised his eyebrows, but grinned. "Invisible monsters? That's a good one! So, why's she really here?"

Miyako shrugged. "That's what she says. I don't know if they exist or not, but she sounds totally serious about them."

Mimi looked up. "By the way, do you happen to know a certain Takeru Takaishi? After getting the answer he was looking for, he headed South to save his brother. Does that convince anyone?"

At this, Miyako turned to her and grinned. "Really? You know, if he'd waited just a little longer to leave, Hikari could have told him too…"

"Yeah, he got me up in the middle of the night to let him out. He was so serious about it that I actually didn't complain." The guard said. "So, why'd he go anyway, and what's this with the princess?"

Miyako blushed a little. "I shouldn't have said that. But he's got a brother on the other side, and wanted some advice and stuff, so he went looking for the sage Gennai."

"And found out his brother was going to be taken captive." Mimi continued. "But not until he almost got killed by one of the invisible monsters that've been wandering the woods for some time now. He was able to sense the magic and attacked it, and so was able to defend himself. However, I had to use my knowledge of herbs to get him out, and then I had to get some of my deer friends to transport him to Gennai's house, where he'd be at least temporarily be safe from them."

Miyako blinked at her, then turned to the guard. "Whatever else she says, if she's got information about Takeru, I'm bringing her to talk to the princess. Besides, she can be trusted. I'd have noticed by now if she wasn't."

After a moment, the guard nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll have to trust you. But I'm not sure if she's quite sane…"

Miyako waved it off. "She's okay. So anyway, have fun! I hope the rest of your shift isn't _that_ boring…"

The guard made a face. "In my job, a boring shift is a good shift." He grinned. "But thanks for the thought."

Miyako raised her hand by way of a wave and then headed off towards the Council chamber, expecting Mimi to follow her. But as soon as she actually got inside, she paused. What if Koushiro was back in the meantime? He'd wonder where she was, and she _did_ have responsibilities, too…

She turned to Mimi. "I'm sorry, we've got to go the long way around. I'm looking for my master. He should be around somewhere, and we were going to work on my last invention together so it doesn't blow up on us, so I have to make sure he isn't back in the workshop already. If he isn't, he'll still be in the Council chamber advising Hikari. If he is, then he'll at least know for sure where we can find her."

Mimi nodded. "Uh…I'm glad I've got a guide here. I wouldn't be able to figure out where on Earth I was otherwise. And that although I've had to develop a great sense of direction from living in the forest all my life…"

Miyako grinned. "Yeah, I guess the problem is partially that the corridors all branch off from each other at the oddest places and you need to navigate by them instead of the cardinal directions."

Mimi nodded. "So, what exactly are you? I'm not quite sure if I caught it."

Miyako smiled. "I'm an apprentice inventor. Koushiro is the master inventor here, so naturally he's my master."

Mimi blinked. "I guess the entire system is foreign to me. So he's some kind of a mentor or something?"

Miyako shrugged. "I guess you could compare the two."

At that Mimi seemed to understand. "You mean like my mother taught me the healing arts?"

Miyako cocked her head at the older woman. "You're a healer?"

Mimi grinned. "Yeah…"

Miyako grinned. "Cool! Anyway, I… Oh, Koushiro!!! Guess who I just met!!!"

-----*****-----

Mimi was surprised when a young auburn-haired man who couldn't be any older than her, but might even be younger, turned around. "Oh, hi Miyako. Where have you been all morning?"

Miyako grinned, obviously totally comfortable. "I forgot all about the speech… Sorry. But this is Mimi Tachikawa. She met Takeru in Blackwood Forest and came to warn us about some invisible monsters. I don't know if they can possibly exist, but I was thinking that since she apparently met Takeru I should take her to see Princess Hikari, because they're together, you know. And Mimi says he's headed South to save his brother, and I thought Hikari might want to hear the whole story from the original source and everything, which is why I brought her up and…"

Koushiro just nodded, apparently not at all fazed by Miyako's endless chatter. Then he turned to Mimi and regarded her with interest. "Why don't you come into the workshop and explain the whole thing to me. Hikari is in the middle of Council, and the last thing she really needs during her very first session is some kind of a disruption. You'll have to wait until the meeting is over to meet her anyway, and in the meantime you can try and convince me of your story."

Mimi gulped. Apparently this guy wasn't as trusting as Miyako. On the other hand, he was older than she was, and apparently wiser, so that was hardly surprising. On the other hand, here was a serious and skeptical listener who she'd have to convince before she'd even have the opportunity to talk to the princess. She was slightly nervous so, in order to distract herself, she focused on him, looking for clues. He looked to be small for his age, but upon closer examination he became convinced that he actually _was_ about her age. But for him to already be a master inventor at her age was just as unusual as a boy Miyako's age heading off to act as military tactical advisor to the prince… Maybe it was just the way things were run in this kingdom. Either age wasn't a barrier, or the youngest generation was growing up awfully fast.

Just then they reached the workshop, and Miyako went ahead to open the door for the two of them.

As soon as they got inside, Miyako was nervously bouncing around and generally making Mimi nervous. She closed the door and grinned. "I guess I'll get out my map for the Projection device and start looking at it…"

At that, Koushiro sighed and looked to Mimi. "Excuse me, I have to handle this first." Then he turned to Miyako. "Okay, so what's bothering you? And don't tell me it's nothing! You haven't been this hyper in years."

Miyako stood there for a moment, just smiling, and then she burst into tears. Mimi watched in surprise as she ran foreward to sit at the table, and didn't even bother to take her glasses off. Koushiro smiled and put a hand on Miyako's back by way of sympathy as she sobbed into her crossed arms. Mimi felt completely out of place and backed up into the back room, closing the door behind her. She sagged against it, reminded once again of the loss of her parents. She didn't have anyone to comfort or just simply be there to care about her. She remained there, leaning against the door, until tears began to well in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. Her mother wouldn't want to see her crying…

Just then the door opened. She wasn't expecting it and fell back onto the floor, to find herself looking into those deep black eyes that seemed to see right through her. She just stared at him for a moment, not quite sure of what to do. The only thought that crossed her mind in that whole time was that those were awfully nice eyes. They could be full of compassion and consideration or that biting intellect…

Just then he offered a hand, shattering the moment. "Would you like some help standing up?"

She blushed slightly. "No! I can stand up fine on my own. And how was I to know you'd be opening the door on me, anyway!"

Koushiro shrugged. "Okay, as you like it." And with that, he went back over to the main table in the center of the room and cleared a space towards one end.

Mimi stood up and brushed off her dress, although it didn't need it, before going over to sit at the table. Miyako, apparently already fully recovered from her bout of crying was grinning again. Her glasses had streaks across them, but she didn't give any sign that she noticed. "So, tell us everything, right from the beginning! You've got my curiosity aroused here. What are these invisible monsters all about?"

Koushiro smiled. "You can take this seat here. So why don't you tell us the whole story from the beginning."

-----*****-----

As soon as the Dark Riders had left, Takato went to his stable and went to the horse with which he'd traveled to and from the Council meeting. He brushed it down and saddled it up again. It turned its head and stared at him.

Takato sighed. "I'm sorry, Stormy. I don't know what to do but try and get help for Jen. We're heading up to the manor tonight, and depending on what we learn there, we might be moving on in the morning."

Stormy snorted as if to say, "Whatever you say. But it's time someone here thought of me!"

Takato placed a hand on the horse's side. "I know. Okay, I promise that if I can get another horse up there I'll let you stay there if I go on. Alright?"

Stormy snorted in agreement, and Takato placed the ready saddlebags on the horse's back and led it out into the open. When he got outside, he was surprised to find several of his friends and neighbors assembled. He blinked. "What…"

"We're here to see you off, of course." Yuta said.

"Yeah", Aoyama smirked. "You stopped thinking like one of us soon after you joined the Council. We all knew it…"

Takato smiled and nodded. The Council had opened his eyes too much. He couldn't ever completely be the person he was again, but at least he was apparently still part of the community. "Thank you all for coming. I'm not quite sure how to go about this one, though, so I thought I'd stop by the manor house for ideas. My friend Henry's family won't leave me out in the cold."

Arisugawa clapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck. And come back safe and sound. We'll look after your fields when we have a moment. You can depend on us, Mazuda."

Takato bowed to them before he mounted on Stormy. "Thank you, all of you. Good-bye and see you soon!"

"Take care!" They called after as he rode off down the road out of the village that took him up towards the manor house.

-----*****-----

When Mimi finished her story, Koushiro sat back in his chair, nodding.

She looked at him nervously, "So, what do you think of it?"

Koushiro grinned. "I'll be quite honest: It's so totally unbelievable that it must be the truth."

Mimi stared at him. "Uh…I don't think I quite get you on that one…"

Koushiro chuckled. "It's obvious: If your intention were deception, you'd have showed up with a better story than that. That's the problem with reality, though. Things happen in real life that you could never tell in a story and actually have people believe it to be realistic. The best stories are based on people's expectations rather than on reality. And if you really wanted to endanger the princess, you'd come up with something better than invisible monsters, prophecies, magic, and a house at the bottom of a lake. In short: something that _sounds_ realistic."

Mimi blinked at him. In a way, he was absolutely right. But there was a part of her that resented his continued doubt of her story. Then again, he was an inventor. What did he know about magic? But what interested her actually more was what Miyako knew about magic that she could create a mental blockade like that. Takeru had been immune to magic, but even he was susceptible on a telepathic level. Miyako had totally blocked her off, and that was the first time ever. On the other hand, if she was suppressing magical capabilities they might get pushed into channels like that. Takeru had simply not been aware of them, so perhaps his were not so strong, or at least different. But for Miyako to be suppressing a particularly strong magical talent would certainly make sense…

But she had to answer something to what Koushiro said. "You've got a very good point there. I never really thought of it that way. I also didn't expect not to be believed, since I grew up taking stuff like magic for granted."

Koushiro shrugged. "The scientific method demands that I not believe something until it has been proven to me."

Mimi's spirits rose slightly at that. "So, if I proved it to you, would you believe me?"

Koushiro nodded. "In fact, then I would have no choice but to believe you."

Mimi found herself blushing slightly. "I'd have to do it on you, because Miyako has a block like a wall ten feet thick."

Koushiro smirked. "Could you keep it down to the telepathy, then? I won't remember if you cast a sleep spell on me. But that certainly is interesting… Miyako, remember what I was saying about the external energy source you seemed to have made use of in the Scrying device? If magic really exists and is somehow connected to telepathy, you might have that much magical potential as well. And as with any particularly strong attributes, it would shine through no matter what you did, and thus would more than account for the tendency of your inventions to spontaneously combust…"

Mimi blinked. "So, what does that mean? I swear, if you turn out just like Gennai…"

Koushiro turned to her and grinned. "I suppose I had better not follow you up on that latter one, at least for the moment. As for the other…I was only referring to some technical problems that have a tendency to arise in connection with my apprentice's workmanship. Nothing probably that would interest you."

Mimi blinked, faced with another statement that she didn't quite understand, but decided to just let it be. She reached out to the smaller, auburn-haired man in her mind, until she felt she had established a connection. She decided to say something silly, in case the situation made him nervous as it had Takeru. Hello? Hello? Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking? 

Abruptly, Koushiro burst into laughter, and Miyako just stared between the two of them. Finally she focused on Mimi, because Koushiro was still laughing too hard. "What on Earth did you just say to him?"

Mimi chuckled. "Hello? Hello? Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"

Miyako blinked a couple times, then apparently got it and burst out laughing herself.

When both had calmed down, Koushiro smirked at Mimi, eyes glittering. "Okay, you've got me convinced. I'll take you to see the Princess when she's done with the Council. That should still take a couple hours, but you can stick around here. We have to work on another of Miyako's inventions that almost blew up. And you can tell us if it is indeed extraneous magic overloading the circuits that causes the explosions."

Mimi blinked. "Sure…whatever that means…"

Koushiro smiled. "Sorry, I suppose I am not entirely accustomed to speaking with non-technical people about any of the finer details of the art of invention, or anything pertaining thereto, with the exception of explaining the modus apparandi to the Council…oh, I suppose there I go again… Anyway, you can check it for extra magic Miyako might have accidentally forced into it, thereby causing it to nearly explode."

Mimi nodded, finally understanding. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm hardly the best mage in the world, but I _do_ have a knack for sensing magic. So if it's there, I'll probably find it."

Koushiro grinned. "Well, now that we've finally communicated, I'll go to the back room to get it."

As soon as he left, Miyako turned to Mimi. "When he's thinking about inventions he is so absent-minded that I wouldn't expect him to remember to go out of his way to explain himself to you." She grinned. "So, I will be acting as your interpreter in this newest venture."

Mimi cast one look at the younger woman and gave up on any possibility of proper communication.

-----*****-----

At the renewed sensation of being watched, Yamato swerved around abruptly for at least the thousandth time. If it weren't for Ryo's warning that morning, he would long since have ceased to pay any attention, assuming he was simply paranoid. Still, the younger man had already proven himself to have a much better idea of this sort of thing than he did. On the other hand, it at least prevented his mind from going idle, which inevitably led to unpleasant apprehensions about the battle the next day or just simply that face…

Yamato blinked, forcefully reminding himself to focus on the danger. Then again, if he seemed too distracted, people would start noticing and maybe even start rumors about him. He had no illusions about his popularity, and the last thing he needed was a bunch of unfounded suggestions that people found more interesting than the truth and thus believed more. He would have to at least prove to them that he could hold his head high as he had always done, ignore their malevolence, and go about his duties with a cool, professional air. After all, there was a lot Ryo and him had to get settled in this new temporary camp. Regiments had to be allotted to different parts, the storage of supplies and food, for the men and the horses, had to be arranged, amongst other things. There was too much to be done to spend time worrying about his unseen pursuer. Besides, if he pretended to not notice them any more there was a chance they would underestimate his capability and try to bump him off without utilizing their entire strength or capability. That would give him more of a chance of winning. Next to the Dark One, he was the best fighter, but young people are particularly susceptible to arrogance, and that was a weakness he could use against them. He was fairly certain it had to be a younger person to whom the Council had offered a tempting position of authority if they succeeded in this task. The older warriors would be wiser and warier, maybe even try to figure out his evening before he did, but certainly come at the whole matter from a more tactically intelligent approach than simply following him around. Thus, it was most likely a younger, less experienced fighter, who it should be a small matter to defeat in an open struggle, and whose only chance lay in a surprise attack. And if Yamato could lure him into a false feeling of security, such an ambush would be more likely. The only thing was, that Yamato would be aware of the ambush before it was sprung and would find it no difficult matter to kill the other before they had an opportunity to kill him.

Yamato smiled. Naturally, that was the tactical approach he had to use. It should have been obvious to him from the beginning, if he weren't so emotionally caught up in the naturally instinctive reaction of fear. And so naturally that was the course he would have to follow. If he was very careful and convincing, he might still pull it off. To think he was in charge and still took that long to come up with a strategic counter-position for the latest move of his opponent…

He wished, though certainly not for the first, nor indeed the last time, that the Dark One had never left.

-----*****-----

Mimi was sitting in a chair on the other side of the over-cluttered worktable and watching Koushiro and Miyako hang over the invention with everything they had. After she had declared there to be magic in it had had drawn it out, she was apparently set aside like a tool when you reach for the next one. They had been experimenting, drawing diagrams, carrying on in technical jargon of which she didn't understand more than a word here and there, and just generally ignoring her. That frustrated her, because she had nothing else to do but to sit there. Besides, she wanted Koushiro to pay attention to _her_, not some stupid machine. What did this mysteriously named 'Projection device' have that she didn't? The only thing she could come up with was that Miyako had made it.

The thought briefly crossed her mind if they were together or something. She discarded it immediately, declaring the relationship between a teacher and a student to have the potential to grow into a deep friendship. That is, she _tried_ to discard it. Somehow, some part of her wasn't exactly convinced. She wondered why she cared. She'd only been up at the castle for a matter of hours, and already she was wondering about random people's relationships with each other? That had to be the result of boredom! Then again, she hadn't cared what sort of relationship Miyako had to that Ken guy… But then her mind was slightly numbed from the shock of the mental shield and the girl's inane chatter, she reasoned. After all, what business was it of hers, anyway? Well, whether it was any of her interest or not, she _did_ care. Apparently she was just the curious type. Then again, she couldn't hope to measure up to Miyako when it came to curiosity. The girl appeared to have ran all the way down to where she was, only to come all the way back up, just out of curiosity. Mimi somehow doubted she would have done that. Still…

She shook her head. She had to get her mind occupied! "Um…is it time yet?" She asked, rather expecting not to get any answer, seeing as the two of them were totally occupied.

She was surprised when Koushiro looked up and blinked at her. "You're right, I completely forgot the time. Yes, I believe she might be done by now…"

Just then, the door opened and a pretty, brown-haired young woman dressed in the white robes and gold circlet of a princess entered stately, shut the door behind her and collapsed against it. "Koushiro, how do you stand being strong and calm all the time without going crazy?" She looked up, circlet slightly askew and, noticing Mimi for the first time, immediately stood and regained her dignity within moments. "Who are you, perchance? I do not recall having seen you around at the castle at any point in time."

Koushiro turned to her and smiled. "This is just Mimi. She came from Blackwood Forest and isn't used to having to be all formal or anything herself, so you don't have to bother."

The young woman relaxed slightly. "Well, hello Mimi. Just let me warn you: Don't get going with all that 'Your Majesty' stuff. I've heard it often enough today to last me a week!"

Mimi blinked. This was the princess? Well, at least she was easier to talk to and didn't keep slipping into long complicated words or technical jargon… "So, let me get this straight, you're Princess Hikari?" Mimi asked.

Hikari smiled. "The same. So, what brings you to this neck of the woods? Er…excuse the expression…"

Mimi grinned. "That's okay. You see, the woods are infested with monsters…"

"Invisible ones." Miyako interrupted.

Mimi nodded, trying to keep her patience. "Yes, invisible monsters. You're lucky Takeru's got a knack for sensing magic, or he'd have been dead before I got to him."

Hikari looked shocked at this and blinked at Mimi with large, concerned eyes. "Is he alright?"

Mimi waved it off. "Sure. He's a cockroach. It'd take more than that to get rid of him. He was weak at first, but later he was suddenly almost completely better. I suspect it had something to do with that annoying old man…"

"She means Gennai." Miyako interrupted again.

Mimi coughed. "Anyway, he's headed South to try and help his brother after he gets captured, or so he said. He wanted me to tell you where he was, and was very particular about it. And he also sent you all his love."

Hikari blushed slightly, but apparently expected the other two occupants of the room to already know about it, which they apparently did, so Mimi didn't give the matter any further thought. "As to the reason for me coming, it's far less romantic. I came to warn you: The monsters are definitely going to be spreading out from the forest, and their goal appears to be total annihilation of the human race."

Hikari blinked. "That's terrible! Once we're done with the war against the Dark Riders, we will immediately turn our attentions to it. In the meantime, you had better stay here since, in that case, going back to the forest would be certain death."

Mimi smiled. "Not necessarily, considering the fact that Gennai lives in a house at the bottom of a lake. I could _technically_ go live with him in the meantime. On the other hand, I might as well sleep in the open woods then, cause more than a month there would almost certainly drive me to kill myself."

Hikari frowned. "Don't even suggest something like that! Naturally there is room here for you. We don't have much of a guard force left, but at least there are solid walls here."

"And a ghost." Miyako added.

This sparked Mimi's interest. "There's a ghost here?!"

Miyako nodded and grinned. "Yeah! Me and some of me and Hikari's friends saw her. Apparently she was a childhood friend of the prince, but died somewhere along the way. I picture it having happened in some freak accident…but maybe that's just my imagination. Anyway, she _looks_ like a grown woman, although that can't possibly be the age she died at. But who am I to know the ways of ghosts? For all I know, when you're a ghost you can choose your appearance, as you like. But she _did_ show us a really cool secret passage. The funny thing is, she didn't _look_ like a ghost. It was really weird to have her suddenly disappear on us and find out from Hikari that she was dead."

Mimi stared at her intently. "What does she look like and what is her name?"

Miyako blinked a moment, then shrugged. "Okay. She's got sorta reddish hair…I think…and she's taller than me and wears a nice dress. Her name is Sora Takenouchi."

Mimi grinned. "I'll have to keep an eye out for her! I mean, I've never met a ghost before, and I think it would be really cool and interesting…"

Koushiro smirked. "I'll pass. I don't believe in ghosts.

Hikari smiled. "That's okay, Koushiro. After all, you never saw her. Actually, I didn't either, but I'm prone to believe Miyako, Iori and Daisuke when they tell me something like that. After all, they didn't even know she was dead. Then again, I suppose I'm a bit of a special case with my visions and all…"

Mimi was relieved. At least there was _someone_ here she could talk to about magic stuff. She was beginning to think her stay might not be so boring as she had, at first, assumed. The only thing that worried her was the fact that nobody seemed to consider the invisible monsters to be any kind of imminent danger, and more like a minor annoyance that could be handled at one's leisure. This was understandable, considering they'd never faced the things, but it still made her uneasy. Nevertheless, she answered. "Nice to find a fellow psychic here. What exactly _are_ the other things that happened and stuff?" She asked.

Hikari looked excited. "You're psychic too? That is so cool! But supper will be served up soon. Why don't you come down and eat with us, and we can talk about it, okay?"

Mimi smiled. "Sounds great to me, I'm starving!"

-----*****-----

When Ken spotted a slight plateau with a screen of rocks facing the South and West, he drew up his horse to that of Prince Taichi. "I think that would be a good, defensible position for our camp."

"Mhm." Taichi answered, rather disinterestedly.

Ken decided to push it a little further, preferably before Rika started bugging him again. "It should be easily defensible, and we only have a few more hours of light left, which we should use to set up our temporary defenses."

"There's no need of defenses here, natural or not." Rika declared. "We should go as long as the light holds and _then_ stop."

"And run the danger of being attacked in the middle of the night? Unlike you, I am not interested in having my throat sliced open while I'm asleep."

Rika snorted. "You wouldn't if you were an experienced fighter. I'd be awake before they even got that close."

Ken decided to ignore her and make one more attempt to get the prince's attention. "We really should make a defensible camp."

Prince Taichi waved it off. "Do what you can't leave be. Speaking of which, go away."

Ken resisted the urge to grin triumphantly at Rika, since his victory in this small matter was about the least spectacular he'd ever accomplished. Besides, it was poor taste to try and rub it in, and more likely to backfire than to do any good. He moved back to the leading officers and spread the news of their intended campsite.

He had grown accustomed to dealing with this part alone. Rika had seen action, but had never been particularly involved in the planning of such details as camp organization. Taichi wasn't be much help either, didn't seem to care about anything not particularly pertaining to Dark Riders, upon which he always went off into rather gory explanations of what he would do if he saw one. Thus, Ken was forced to take on his responsibilities for him. It wasn't that he particularly _craved_ responsibility and the power that came with it, but if the prince wasn't going to fulfill his duty on his own, then _somebody_ had to do it. And rather than go to the bother of trying to exercise power he didn't have and allot the job to lesser staff officers, he did it himself. The alternatives weren't worth the hassle, and it wasn't like he particularly minded it, either. It was a tedious task, but it needed to be done, so he did it, no ifs, buts or maybes. And whatever he did, he tried to do well. He was vaguely reminded of a quote that he had heard somewhere, though he couldn't for the life of him remember where, but most likely it was in one of his books. 'It takes a great man to be willing to be little.' Somehow, despite himself, he found it to fit.

-----*****-----

Takato knocked on the gate once more, and finally received an answer. "Who's there!" A grumpy voice complained. "And whatever it is, can't you wait 'til morning?"

"I need help! I am from the village below, and need to see the master of the house!" Takato insisted. "I'm a friend of Henry, my name is Takato Mazuda. I am certain he will see me!"

"I'll go and ask if anyone's ever heard of a 'Takato Mazuda' up here. Meanwhile, you wait." The voice declared, and Takato heard footsteps retreating.

Takato patted Stormy on the neck. "Don't worry. They'll let us in."

Moments later, the massive gate was opened, and Takato permitted to step inside. He saw the grouchy gatekeeper, who was still not all that pleased about having to answer after dark, and felt sorry for the guy. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but my business can't wait 'til morning."

The guy waved it off. "Ah, forget it. If I'd known you were a personal friend of the family, I'd have made less bother for myself."

Takato smiled. "You're just being a good gatekeeper. I respect that."

The man waved it off. "Yeah, forget it. You'll find the master finishing up his supper. What happened, anyway?"

"There was a confrontation with the invaders, and they took my wife hostage and we had to give them all our excess grain. I'm looking for advice on a way to free her." Takato answered, figuring the man would find out, anyway.

The gatekeeper stared. "You don't say… I hadn't even heard we were being invaded…"

Takato smiled sadly. "We found out at the last Council meeting. It was rather abrupt."

The gatekeeper blinked a moment, then caught on. "So you're the next representative for the farmers! I was wondering who was going to take old Matsuhiko's place! Probably nice for Henry to have a friend in the Council."

Takato smiled. "Well, since he was appointed steward for the time the Lord is out aiding in the war effort…"

At this the guard's eyes shone with pride. "We always knew he had it in him! And you scamper off now. The master's waiting for you. I'll take care of your horse."

Takato thanked the man and headed off.

When he had almost reached the dining chamber, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed about the whole thing, and wondered if he had the right to bother Henry's father with his own problems. After all, the man was originally a Dark Rider mage, who had decided to change sides for reasons unknown to Takato. He was a little old to be sent to the front, which was probably why he wasn't asked, but he was still a force to be reckoned with…

He rounded the corner and stood in the doorway. Abruptly the man looked up and beckoned him over. Takato walked rather stiffly across the room to come to where his friend's father was sitting.

"Sit down and tell us over the remainder of supper." He suggested, gesturing to a place to his right, across from his daughter.

Takato took a step back. "That's Henry's place. I can't sit there."

"It's the logical place to sit if you've got some important business that can't wait. It's right next to me, and you don't have to stand and watch us eat the whole time. You must be starved." Mr. Wong answered.

Takato looked at the food on the table and nodded briefly. He hadn't eaten since that morning. On the other hand, he hadn't had time or interest in eating. His emotions had rather overridden that physical necessity. Still, if he had to go on in the morning, he would have to get something in his belly. Thus, with trepidation, he finally took the seat offered him. He sat on the very edge, so as to indicate his discomfort at taking a position at the table that was meant for someone above his station.

Mr. Wong shook his head, slightly bemused, but let it rest. "So, what is this business that cannot wait?"

Takato forced himself to reach out and take some of the stuff from the serving bowls. "Well, let me start from the beginning. When I was at the Council, we were sent a holographic image of the Princess in which we discovered that there was a renewed invasion of Dark Riders, that they had already taken the Temple, and that the prince was already on the move to drive them back. The Lord named Henry as steward in his absence, we voted him the money and resources, and he prepared for departure. Soon after I came back, we discovered that the invaders were not merely at the Temple. A branch of them, with a mage in the lead, came too close to our village for comfort, and we moved out to attack them. They took my wife hostage, and we had to give them all our excess grain, so we had just enough for seed grain and food over the summer. I wanted some advice on what I should do…"

When he turned back to Mr. Wong, the man looked very grave. He appeared to be contemplating the situation. Meanwhile Susie spoke up. "That's sad. Is she gonna be okay?"

Takato sighed. "I don't know. The mage gave me her word of honor that she would come to no harm, and would be sent back after the war, no matter which side won…"

At that Mr. Wong looked up with interest. "A female mage? Those are rare. Our women tend more to psychic abilities like telepathy and prognostication and beyond that just some basic simple spells. That's also a kind of magic, but not our definition of mages. Did she actually declare herself to be a mage or did you just find out?"

Takato blinked. "She actually declared it… But I would like to know what prognostication is…"

"Prognostication is the art of prophecy. But if she actually declared herself to be a mage, then you did the right thing not to mess with her. Nothing and no one in your village could stand up to a fully trained war-mage. Besides, it would have taken too much time to come and get me. You did the right thing." Mr. Wong declared, although he appeared to know more than he said. Takato didn't know what to think, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

Susie looked up. "Daddy, if they can't defeat a war-mage, then why is Eisodos still free after all these years?"

He smiled. "Mages need a lot of time to recuperate after a major spell-casting session. For that reason, they are only used as a unit, and as a last resort. They are often used as a rear guard, because they can fight and then teleport themselves away from the fighting. But they can't be drained too extensively or they die, or worse." His face turned sad, but serious. "When I was at the Academy of Magic, I saw many of my more ambitious peers overspend themselves. Let me tell you, the ones who died were lucky."

Takato knew better than to ask any more questions. Susie looked like she was about to, so he knocked her foot under the table. When she turned to him to complain, he just shook his head. She pressed her lips together and nodded, though she was apparently annoyed she couldn't ask any more questions.

Then Takato looked back at his host. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Mr. Wong frowned. "The fastest way to end a war is to lose it, I'm afraid. Otherwise you could cross their plans and go up to warn the castle. If they have the capability to relay messages over long distances instantaneously, they might be able to ask for help and you could get part of the army back up to defeat this part of the invading forces and rescue your wife. Short of losing the war, that would appear to be the best approach."

Takato stared at him. "Warn the castle? You mean go all the way to the capitol? Whatever would I warn them of?"

Mr. Wong chuckled. "Sorry, for a moment there I forgot I was talking to a farmer. Naturally, the force you knocked into would be headed straight for the capitol. The nature of this country is to be small, well organized, but have a distinct lack of major cities. If they take both its religious and political centers, it will be only a matter of time before the entire country is under their control. A large country would be able to keep it up anyway, at least for a while. They could cut off the supply trains and continue to avoid the invading force until the higher officers are forced to leave or be killed by the main body of troops so _they_ can leave. The other main factor here is the fact that most of the population is farmers, just like you. Now tell me: If you think back to the time before you joined the Council, and at that point you had somehow heard there were invaders who intended to take over the country, would you have cared?"

Takato blinked, thinking for a moment. Finally he said, "No…I would just simply have assumed that the whole thing had nothing to do with me, and if I didn't go out of my way to get involved, nothing would change. After all, your family has been in charge of this land ever since I can remember, my family has been farming in that same village since generations… I couldn't have conceived of my life being drastically changed by the whole thing at all. Thus, I couldn't have cared less who exactly was in charge, as long as the rents didn't change."

Mr. Wong smiled. "You are very honest. Yes, that's exactly how the vast majority of the population feels. Now, do you think they'd be very willing to risk their lives for something that's none of their business?"

Takato shook his head. "No, not really. But…how could the other farmers possibly be convinced to fight for their country?"

Mr. Wong smiled. "They'd have to be absolutely convinced that they would die if they didn't. That is, near relatives or close neighbors would have to have been attacked and proof brought that the same would most likely happen to them. And even then they would demand protection for their families while they were out fighting."

Takato thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, then I'd also have fought. It's kinda hard to put myself back into that mind-frame once my mind has been opened…"

Mr. Wong nodded. "I would expect as much. I can't remember what it felt like to not have magic available to me if I absolutely needed it. For that reason, I too often find it difficult to understand the reactions of people without it."

Takato grinned. "We often find it difficult to understand you, too, so I suppose the feeling is mutual."

Mr. Wong laughed then. "I suppose I shouldn't waste so many thoughts on it then? You still think like a farmer for the most part."

Takato shrugged. "I guess there's some things you never shake off. Not that it's a bad thing. Time-tried methods are often better than new ways."

Mr. Wong smiled gently. "There's a lot about a farmer's point of view that many of the rest of us would do well to learn. Farmers don't start wars, farmers don't try to oppress others, farmers look after their community, and farmers look after the land. There's more, but I think you already understand what I mean."

Takato nodded. "It's always such a relief to come back to the village after being out in the world, even just as far as the Council. I don't have to put on any airs, and I don't have to defend my position all the time. And I can trust my neighbors like family. I don't have to be anyone special. All anyone asks of me is for me to be myself and do the same for them as they do for me."

Mr. Wong nodded in agreement. "Communities are very comforting."

Takato looked up. "I've got to leave, though. If I want to reach the capitol before they do, I have no time to lose."

Susie looked at her father. "Can I go, too? I've never seen the capitol!!!"

Mr. Wong shook his head. "No. Especially with situations the way they are, you need to stay here."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "No fair. You guys sit here talking about boring stuff like psychology, and you won't even let me go with."

Takato got up. "I'm sorry I can't stay 'til dessert…"

Mr. Wong shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I enjoyed your conversation. And now do what you need to do."

Takato nodded, rose and left.

-----*****-----

His duties finally done for the night, Daisuke was just about to go out to look for Kazu when he heard a familiar voice outside the tent he shared with the recruits he shared a room in the barracks with.

"I only wanted to come and talk to a friend of mine." It was Ken! Daisuke was surprised, but curious.

"We've gotten especially careful of people with black hair since the assassination…"

Daisuke took a sprint for the door. "Hey, Ken! I didn't know you'd come along, too!"

Ken made a face. "I didn't want to, either, but here I am. The company I'm in isn't very friendly, so I thought I'd come looking for some better company."

"So I catch it he's okay?" The one of his fellow recruits who was currently on guard duty asked.

Daisuke laughed. "Yeah, we've been friends for ages. So, come in and meet a new friend I met here. He idolizes your brother, but other than that he's okay."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you say so…"

"So, will you introduce me too, then?" The guard asked.

Daisuke grinned. "Of course. This is Ken Ichijouji, younger brother of Lord Ichijouji."

He started, then blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry to have held you up, Sir…"

Ken made a face. "I'm sick of that stuff. I came here to relate to people on level terms. In the company I ended up in, everybody either looks down to me for being younger and less experienced, keep comparing me to my brother, look up to me for my station, or just simply ignore me. Just call me Ken, okay?"

The other recruit shrugged. "Sure. I didn't know it was so important. By the way, I'm Hideaki Arai. My father actually wanted me to become a scribe, but I had other things in mind." He smirked. "I wonder if he'll ever forgive me."

"Hey, when's your shift over?" Daisuke asked. "You could come with us. We're going over to the army part of camp to look for a friend of a friend of mine, Kenta. If you're getting off soon, you could join us."

Just then Kazu came up. "Hey, Daisuke! You got more company here?"

Daisuke grinned. "This is Ken Ichijouji. Ken, this is Kazu."

Kazu grinned. "Hi! Daisuke was telling me about you. He said I shouldn't mention your brother… Well, anyway, what brings you here? I thought you'd be back at the castle…"

Ken grinned. "I've spent most of my time wondering why I'm not. My company isn't much fun to be in. Nobody acts on a level with me. That's why I came looking for Daisuke."

Kazu grinned. "Well, we'll treat you on a level, right guys?"

Hideaki grinned, too. "Sure will! But you'll get more of that kind of treatment if you just go by the name of Ken. Let's all set aside the last names right here. My shift will be over in a moment and I can come and join you."

Just then another guy came up, groaning. "My turn. Damn these boring shifts. At least I get mine early, ne? I pity the poor guys who have to stand out here in the middle of the night."

Kazu laughed. "Just hope we never have to do that! I get my turn tomorrow. Damned shifts. I mean, how likely is it that the enemy's gonna sneak into the tent in the middle of the night and cut all our throats in the middle of camp?"

Ken smiled. "Well, given the opportunity, I'm certain they wouldn't hesitate a moment. It would certainly be more tactically advantageous than trying to bump us all off on the field, where we could kill a lot of their guys before they get to us."

Kazu grinned. "Spoken like a true Ichijouji! Now let's get going. We might have to search a bit to find him, and we don't want to be searching all night so we don't have any time for fun before we have to get some sleep. I mean, we might even see battle tomorrow, and we might die for all we know. Personally, I'd rather know I had a great time first."

Hideaki grinned. "I'll second you on that one!"

Daisuke glanced at Ken. For the first time since he could remember, the guy had actually come _seeking_ company. Usually they had to turn him out his room and high-tail him down the hall. He spent too much time studying in that cramped little room of his, and seemed to prefer the company of his books to that of his friends. He had to be _really_ desperate if he was coming looking for people. Still, there was a certain detachment that he still had, almost as if he didn't really want any friends. Daisuke nevertheless hoped it was a good sign, and just ignored the rest. Maybe his friend was beginning to open up a little, after all.

-----*****-----

Yamato was finally done with his duties and heading back to his tent. It had been hard enough to exercise his authority as it was, but it was even more difficult when he was being tailed and had to pretend there was nothing wrong. He once again resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. How much longer was his pursuer going to wait before he made an attempt? Well, he might try to wait until Yamato was asleep… But that would call for either a good tactician or a naturally deceptive nature. From the other observations he had made over the course of being followed, his first suspicion of a younger, rather inexperienced nature seemed more realistic. His unconcerned appearance had caused the man to become so overconfident that Yamato had actually managed to catch a glimpse of him. He had black hair and looked rather normal, though slightly unkempt, and certainly younger than the majority of the troops. Then again, the Council would almost have to make use of young fools who didn't know how to think for themselves properly, but thought they did. They were pathetic and so easily misled… Maybe the Council had even used the natural idealism of youth against them, and convinced them it was in everyone's best interest that they remove such a weak leader from their pack.

Yamato allowed himself a contemptuous smirk and a slight head-shake. He would probably do the guy a favor in killing him that night, since he'd probably be more humane about it than the battle the next day. A guy like that had no business coming along on a serious military venture like this, and would be dead before he knew what had hit him, or get wounded, knocked off his horse, and trampled under millions of hooves. In fact, there were a lot of things that could happen to him. Naïve idiots just weren't meant to be sent to the front. Nevertheless, they often were.

Yamato came within sight of his tent and sighed. Perhaps the guy had at least studied tactics enough to try and attack him in his sleep. On the other hand, if that were truly his intention, he would be going ahead in a matter of moments to get there first, go around the side, sneak in, and still have time to hide. Unfortunately for him, he merely continued to doggedly follow the blond-haired man up towards his tent. So he wasn't as intelligent as Yamato had feared. After all, he couldn't stay up 'til morning and still perform well on the field of battle. He needed his sleep. Yamato smiled. If given the choice, it is better to overestimate a man than to underestimate him, since the former places you in slightly less mortal danger than the latter. Then again, a totally inexperienced man can defeat the greatest master by doing that which the master least expects, because he knows it is not tactically feasible, and be destroyed. Thus it is better to correctly judge your opponent. Yamato was mentally well prepared for the eventuality of the prince having brought along a better tactician than he was… He shook his head. There were more important things to focus on, like saving his life, so why did that face keep showing up? He banished it to the far reaches of his mind, for at least the thousandth time that day.

When he came to his tent, he realized there was no guard on it. It was set apart from the others, as was the tent that Ryo now occupied. His heart almost stopped. Naturally…they would have thought of everything… He entered into the tent, further heightening his senses to detect the slightest sound, the slightest movement, or the slightest whiff out of place. He silently loosened his sword in its scabbard and stood in the middle of the darkened tent, not daring to reach for the light. A quick glance around told him his pursuer was at least his only intended assailant. He pretended to reach for the lantern…

A noise: There was a quiet footstep outside his tent. Yamato leaned over slightly…

Then in a flash he turned, drawing his sword simultaneously. It crossed with that of a very surprised looking young man.

Yamato smirked derisively. "Surely you didn't think I hadn't noticed you. An elephant in a china shop makes less noise than you!"

The man barred his teeth. "We don't need your kind, Eisodos weakling scum!" And with that, he dared a kick and tried to launch another attack.

Before his boot even made contact, Yamato had lightly dodged to the side and pointed the tip of his sword directly at the man's neck. "Don't cross me."

The man glanced at his own weapon, but Yamato clicked his tongue and purred. "You'd be dead before you'd raised it an inch. Drop it!"

Haltingly, the man complied. Yamato grinned. "Good. Now speak up! Who sent you!"

The man gulped, but held his tongue.

Yamato moved the point of the sword slightly to the side and pushed just a little harder, so a trickle of blood began to fall. "You know, I'm not particularly renowned for my patience. You do know of course that I would not hesitate to kill you on the spot?"

The man glanced at him reproachfully. "You'd have the Council to answer to! I…"

"Ah." Yamato purred. "The Council. I might have known. They never _did_ have much of a liking for me, did they. And I suppose you expect me to let you live after giving me that bit of information."

The man just glared at him. Yamato just smiled. "Of course I could, but the moment my back was turned you would pick up that sword and strike me in the back. And you know I can't afford to take a risk like that. Actually, I'm probably being rather humane in killing you tonight. Fools like you are the first to die in real combat, except that there are much more prolonged and painful ways you could die out there, and I will make it short and relatively painless. Are there any last messages I can relay for you?"

The man's jaw-line set. "Not from me, you bastard."

Yamato smiled. "Actually, my parents _were_ married, in case you wanted to know. But that is beside the point. It's a pity you joined the wrong side of this internal conflict. You are obstinate, and apparently very loyal. If you'd joined my side, you might have lived. Well, that's life."

With that, Yamato lifted his sword and cleanly chopped the man's head off.

-----*****-----

"What will you do if you get back alive?" Kazu asked around.

They had found Kenta relatively easily. He had turned out to be a round-faced guy with black hair, who Daisuke seemed to recall having seen around somewhere, though he couldn't for the life of him remember the details.

"When I go back, I'll propose to Chiyo." Hideaki grinned. "I was intending to the night after being chosen, but with the assassination and all, I decided to put it off. And now I'm glad I did. If I never come back, she's at least not given me her promise."

Kazu grinned. "Aw… Don't worry, we'll let her know if you don't make it. How about you, Daisuke?"

Daisuke shrugged and grinned. "I don't have a sweetheart. My sister's off in the Ichijouji province, and my parents don't care. I think I'd do about the same things I did before. I'd hate to die though without knowing true love."

The three of them looked at Ken, who shrugged. "I'd probably tell my brother and, depending on his reaction, I might actually make peace with him."

Three pairs of eyes blinked at him, not comprehending at all. Still, Daisuke waved it off. "I guess that's just beyond me. Are you Ichijoujis all geniuses or something?"

Ken shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I never quite looked at it that way…"

Kazu looked about ready to say something, but decided better. Daisuke figured he was about to say something about Osamu again. That would have been _such_ a mood-killer…

"So, what do you intend to do, Kazu?" Ken asked with interest.

Kazu sighed. "I guess I'm just as boring as Daisuke. I don't have anything particularly planned. But I _will_ rub it under my Dad's nose. You see, when I joined up he said I was daft and would be dead before I could count to ten. It would be _so_ much fun to just walk in and say hi when he's expecting me to be dead. And you, Kenta?"

"I'll try to convince my Dad to let me out of fighting. I wasn't ever too bad on the practice field, but I never enjoyed it. Then again, I suppose it's a little late to learn another trade." Kenta smirked. "You know how those things go."

Ken laughed. "Yeah, sure do. Fighting and tactics are the only things I'm really good at. I wish something would happen so people would stop continuously comparing me to my brother. I mean, sure we're all great military tacticians, but we almost have to be because we seem to lack any other major skills."

Daisuke grinned. "Well, you're certainly good at studying."

Ken sighed and shook his head. "Are you suggesting I should try my hand at being a military historian instead of trying to be a tactician, although that seems to be the only thing I'm really good at?"

Daisuke shrugged. "It depends on you. Personally, I wouldn't want to be compared to your brother, either. He's a jerk."

"Can we talk about something else?" Kazu asked.

"Sure, how about…" Hideaki began.

"Food?" Kenta asked. "I don't know if you guys up in the prince's bodyguard get the same feed we get down here, but it's awful! It's either way to hard, or it tastes like it's already been eaten."

Ken blinked. "Where I come from the food is slightly better."

Kenta snorted. "Well, why don't you take me to your mess. I've choked that stuff down for two nights in a row, and I don't want to have to choke it down again."

Ken nodded. "If there's something I can do, I will."

Daisuke sighed. "You must just have been lucky with the cooks, Ken. The stuff we get isn't any better."

Hideaki looked up. "By the way, where _do_ you come from?"

Ken stood up. "Sorry, I should be going."

Daisuke glanced up to find his friend suddenly completely cold and distanced. He was confused, but decided to trust him and leave the matter be. "Sorry already. Hideaki didn't mean to pry, did you?"

He turned to the young man who shrugged. "I didn't know he'd take it like that. Okay, I _am_ sorry."

Ken smiled. "I'm sorry for overreacting, but I really should be going. I just remembered something more I had to do."

Daisuke looked at the others, who all shrugged. The he spoke up. "Sure. Okay, how about those of us who are still alive get together again tomorrow night and find out what happened to the others? Let's get any messages out on the table that we'd like relayed to people in case we die."

Ken paused a moment. "I'd just want someone to tell my friends goodbye for me and to tell them that I really regret not having spent more time with them when I had the chance. Oh, and I'd also want an apology to the Princess Hikari."

Kenta sighed. "I'd want someone to tell my Dad I died just like he always wanted me to, and someone to say goodbye to the rest of my family."

Kazu grinned. "That's hard, not to send a goodbye to your Dad."

Kenta shrugged.

Kazu chuckled. "Anyway, I'd want someone to go to my Dad and tell him he was damned right, and I _was_ daft for joining up…although I had the time of my life before I died. Oh, and good-byes to the _whole_ family." He made a face at Kenta, who ignored him.

"I'd want someone to send my love to Chiyo and say goodbye to her. And I'd want someone to ask my Dad to forgive me, and good-byes to everyone, of course." Hideaki smiled.

Daisuke grinned. "I guess good-byes to all my friends and to my sister. My parents couldn't care less if I was alive or dead, anyway."

"So it's agreed then." Kenta said. "We'll meet…how about we meet in the section for the prince's bodyguard? Not only are there at least three of us who come from there, but you also take longer, in putting up your horses."

Ken hesitated. "Depending on circumstances, I might not be able to come even if I live. I was lucky to find some time to get away tonight, but I might not be able to tomorrow night. So don't assume I'm dead if I don't show up."

"I s'pose that's okay." Hideaki said. "I mean, duty comes first, right?"

Ken grinned. "Glad you understand. So, until tomorrow?"

"See you then!" Daisuke grinned.

Ken raised a hand in a gesture of parting and left the round.

Daisuke chuckled. "I wonder what the big secret is?"

Kazu grinned. "I'll bet he's so highly ranked that he doesn't think we could possibly act on a level with him if we knew!"

Hideaki made a face. "Well, he can't be the head general. That's the prince's job, by birth."

Daisuke sighed. "I wonder…"

-----*****-----

Yamato was still standing there staring at the body when Ryo entered the tent. He was blinking, almost as if in a slightly different world that he didn't quite know how to get out of.

Ryo went over and lit the lantern. Yamato looked confused, and was just staring at the body in the middle of his tent. Ryo had no idea what the guy's problem was, so he clapped the taller, blond man on the shoulder and tried to get him to snap out of it.

"Hello? Somebody there?" He asked.

Yamato just shook his head. "Yeah, I think so…"

Ryo sighed. "So, what's the problem? You killed the guy. Well, he wanted to kill you, so it was only in self-defense."

Yamato just stared. "I've never killed before. It felt so…strange…"

Ryo smiled. "It's a funny feeling, ne? Really makes you respect the frailty of human existence."

Yamato shook his head. "I…I don't know…"

Ryo grinned. "You're in shock. Don't worry, it'll pass. Meanwhile we have to do something with the guy. If you were really in charge, you could have his head stuck on a pole or something in warning to others, but the Council would have it taken down. And if you went and complained to them, they'd put you down. Hell, they'd put you down if you went and told them a man had tried to assassinate you. The best thing to do is to bury him out of sight or set him out in the woods somewhere. The problem with putting him out in the woods is that the scouts might find him and unpleasant questions would arise. If we bury him, no one will be the wiser, and we'll bury the whole problem with him. The Council will figure you killed him but not be able to prove anything or seriously try and ruin your image with it, so they'll leave the whole thing be. Hell, you might even make them respect you in the long run. So it's decided, we'll bury him."

"Yeah…" Yamato answered, sitting down on the bed. His eyes were still blinking into open space.

Ryo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, so what's really the problem. You can't fool me. This obviously goes beyond just killing someone. You can trust me. So what's going on?"

Yamato sighed. "I…I think I enjoyed it."

Ryo smiled with compassion and leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look. I think you should get a little more perspective on this whole thing. This guy tried to kill you, and you defended yourself. Okay? If it were me instead of you, I'd be extremely relieved to get him off my back. He was probably following you around for a long time beforehand. I might even have felt so relieved that I'd enjoy killing him, if only to get him off my back. What makes you think you particularly enjoyed that part of it, anyway?"

Yamato shuddered. "I could have let him go. Sure, he'd have killed me, but I had him totally in my power there. And then I felt something switch inside me, and I suddenly went all funny and started saying things I'd only ever thought before. I'm scared of myself, Ryo. I didn't even know what I was doing any more."

Ryo sighed in annoyance and sat down next to him. "Get a grip, okay? You were probably in what people call _survival mode_. It was activated when he attacked you, and probably ran your reactions for the rest of the incident. With your mind and experience, I'd expect your survival mode to be kinda cold and spooky, at least to most people. I'd know what was going on and stuff, so I probably wouldn't find it spooky, but that's just me. Some people's survival mode is a state of total panic, some people have a tendency to freeze up, and some immediately break into a run. But you I would expect to be cold, aloof, and calculated to make your opponent fear for their life. And in that kind of a state, you might easily think you enjoy killing. Hell, that might even be true. But that's your instincts, not you. So settle down and come back down to Earth, okay? You can't kill yourself over every life you take if you're a soldier, and you'd better get used to the fact that you are one."

Yamato hesitated a moment, then nodded.

Ryo grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay. Now, let's get out some shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and get this guy buried."

Yamato nodded briefly, then turned to the body and shivered before following Ryo off in the direction of the supply tent.

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Okay! *whew*. Actually, you have to thank my Encyclopaedia Britannica CD for me getting this one done. Without the extensive article on the history of agriculture, I couldn't have gotten this far. ^-^ I usually research everything carefully before even starting a story so I don't get put off in the middle by having to go research again, but I really didn't anticipate the need for knowledge of agriculture here. For those who are interested, horse-drawn cultivators were actually introduced in the mid-19th century and made it possible to cultivate 15 acres of land a day. Our inventors must have worked hard on that one. ^-^ I didn't know that before, either… Still, as you can see, I am a very _responsible_ writer, who tries to provide _real_ information their readers. (See all the military terms and offices.) ^-^ Okay, if you've read my bio you _know_ I usually write for myself, but this story I'm writing for the readers…and to give myself room to experiment with military tactical approaches. It's fun… ^-^ (Is it just me or do I have too many smilies in here?) Anyway, I promise the next chapter won't take so long. ^-^

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